US private employers added 109,000 jobs in April in the fastest monthly gain since January 2025, payroll processor ADP said Wednesday.
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected an increase of 120,000 roles after February and March each posted an excess of 60,000 positions. ADP’s report may build on the sentiment that the labor market is showing some signs of stability after a bleak 2025.
“Small and large employers are hiring, but we’re seeing softness in the middle,” ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said in a statement. “Large companies have resources to deploy, and small ones are the most nimble, both important advantages in a complex labor environment.”
Richardson called April’s private payroll gains “very solid” in a call with reporters, while noting that much of the job growth was concentrated in health services and education.
That supersector, which has been powering the labor market as other industries have shed jobs over the past several months, added 61,000 private-sector positions in April. The second-best performing sector — trade, transportation, and utilities — posted 25,000 new roles.
Also notable: manufacturing added 2,000 roles in April, which “snapped a two-year losing streak in terms of monthly private net gains,” Richardson said.
Another data point that popped: Of the 109,000 private-sector jobs brought on in April, 43,000 were at businesses with 1 to 19 employees.
That made the smallest companies the leaders in payroll growth last month, just barely outpacing firms with 500 or more employees, which added 42,000 roles.
But those positions at tiny firms are often only part-time, and can pay less, Richardson noted.
