Local government roles were down 57,000, leisure and hospitality positions decreased by 40,000, finance jobs declined 14,000, and the retail sector lost more than 19,000.
Private-sector employers added 109,000 jobs in April —more than expected, and nearly double what employers added in March, according to the latest report by payroll processor ADP.
While overall job numbers have stayed pretty flat in the past year, private payroll processor ADP reported a substantial uptick in job creation by small businesses in February.
Inflation and job creation are expected to hold steady, but revisions to the 2025 jobs numbers are expected to be large enough to show a net loss for all of last year.
The drop in unemployment claims is good news, but other indicators show that few jobs have been created over the past few months — a trend likely to continue in 2026.
There are far fewer new job seekers in the U.S. due to Trump’s restrictive immigration policies. As a result, the goal posts for what healthy job growth looks like have also changed.
ADP’s monthly report shows private firms added jobs in October, for the first time since July. Meanwhile, Indeed data shows job openings slumped at the end of October.
