Slow Job Growth in Private Payrolls

ADP’s latest employment data showed that U.S. private employers added an average of just 10,000 jobs per week over the four weeks ending March 7th. That is only slightly higher than the prior reading of 9,000 jobs per week.

Taken together, this points to roughly 40,000 private-sector jobs added over the past month, signaling relatively weak hiring momentum. This comes on the heels of the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting a loss of 92,000 jobs in February, setting the stage for increased attention on the upcoming March Jobs Report.

Jobless Claims Show Mixed Signals

Initial jobless claims rose slightly by 5,000 to 210,000, remaining low by historical standards. At the same time, continuing claims fell by 32,000 to 1.819 million.

These trends suggest a mixed labor picture: fewer new layoffs overall, but those who are unemployed may be taking longer to find new roles.

Some of this may also reflect shifting workforce patterns, with more individuals turning to gig or contract work instead of traditional unemployment benefits.