Businesses added more employees and laid off fewer workers last month, supporting a strong U.S. labor market, according to new data.
Private employers added 98,000 new jobs in June, from 122,000 in the previous month, payroll processor ADP reported on July 1.
This came in slightly below the consensus forecast of 113,000.
Employment gains were broad-based, led by education and health services (48,000) and trade, transportation, and utilities (15,000). Jobs in financial services also jumped 14,000, while manufacturing picked up 5,000.
Companies of all sizes also bolstered headcount, with small businesses—companies with fewer than 49 employees—adding 53,000 positions.
“The pace of hiring is telling a story of both supply and demand. We know it’s taking people longer to find work, but there also are signs of labor supply constraints in certain industries,” Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, said in a statement….