ADP says businesses add 63,000 jobs in February as hiring picks up

MW ADP says businesses add 63,000 jobs in February as hiring picks up

By Jeffry Bartash

Most new jobs are concentrated in health care

There's not as many "now hiring" signs on business store front these days.

Check back for updates.

ADP said businesses created 63,000 new jobs in February - the biggest increase in four months - in another sign that a sluggish U.S. labor market might be slightly perking up.

Wall Street forecasters had predicted a 48,000 increase in private-sector jobs last month.

The economy is adding far fewer jobs than in the past owing to a slower growth in the working-age population and uncertainty triggered by high U.S. tariffs.

Most of the new jobs have also been concentrated in just a few kinds of businesses: healthcare providers, restaurants and hotels.

"We've seen an increase in hiring and pay gains remain solid, especially for job-stayers," said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, the nation's largest processor of payroll checks.

The ADP report is normally a second-tier labor-market gauge, but it's taken on fresh importance after repeated delays once in the official U.S. employment report due to government funding lapses.

Wall Street economists are forecasting a 50,000 increase in the official survey, which is produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Both the BLS and ADP estimates are net figures - that is, jobs created minus jobs destroyed.

Market reaction: The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA and S&P 500 SPX were set to rise in Wednesday trading.

-Jeffry Bartash

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 04, 2026 08:20 ET (13:20 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.