ADP reports US private jobs averaged 20,000 per week through early September

US private employers added an average of 20,000 jobs per week over the four-week period ending September 5, according to ADP’s latest NER Pulse update. That’s a meaningful jump from the 16,250 weekly average recorded just one period earlier, and nearly double the 12,000-12,250 pace logged for the week ending August 22. ADP’s monthly National Employment Report for August, released September 2, showed a net gain of just 38,000 private-sector jobs for the entire month. That was the slowest monthly print since January. A summer slump in context Private-sector hiring peaked at over 24,000 jobs per week in mid-June before sliding sharply through mid-July. By late August, the weekly average had dropped below 13,000. The August monthly report offered some useful detail on where jobs were actually being created, and where they weren’t. Education and health services led all sectors with 45,000 jobs added. Leisure and hospitality contributed 16,000, and construction added 12,000. On the losing end, manufacturing shed 17,000 positions and professional and business services dropped 16,000. What the weekly pulse actually measures ADP’s NER Pulse is distinct from its better-known monthly employme...