Hiring at U.S. companies picked up modestly in December, with private-sector payrolls rising by 41,000, according to ADP Research. Gains were led by education, health services, and leisure and hospitality, while professional services and manufacturing shed jobs. Small businesses resumed hiring after recent losses, even as large employers pulled back. Bloomberg reports:
Hiring at US companies rose in December at a moderate pace, pointing to sluggish momentum heading into 2026.
Private-sector payrolls increased by 41,000, according to ADP Research data released Wednesday, after declining in November. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 50,000 gain.
The report adds to evidence of a gradually cooling, but not rapidly deteriorating, labor market. […]
Gains were led by education and health services as well as leisure and hospitality. Payrolls declined in professional services and manufacturing. Smaller businesses also resumed hiring after months of shedding workers. […]
Other data coming out this week will help inform their decision later this month. Key among those is the government’s monthly jobs report due Friday, which is expected to show mild hiring in December and a slight drop in the unemployment rate. […]
ADP bases its findings on payrolls covering more than 26 million US private-sector employees. In addition to the monthly reports, ADP also releases separate data on a weekly basis. Payrolls were positive in each of the last three readings.
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