Private sector job creation turned positive in December though at a bit softer pace than expected, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday.
Companies added 41,000 hires for the month, a reversal from the loss of 29,000 in November, providing a positive sign to a labor market that otherwise struggled as 2025 came to a close. Private company payrolls had declined in three of the four months prior to the December release.
The final tally was slightly less than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 48,000.
Payroll growth came entirely in services industries as education and health-related fields added 39,000 jobs and leisure and hospitality contributed 24,000. Trade, transportation and utilities gained 11,000 while financial services rose by 6,000.
Offsetting those gains were losses of 29,000 in professional and business services and 12,000 in information services.
