Overview
- February's private sector job growth of 77,000 fell significantly short of economists' expectations of around 140,000 to 148,000 jobs.
- The ADP report highlights hiring hesitancy among employers, potentially driven by policy uncertainty and slowing consumer spending.
- Key sectors such as trade, transportation, utilities, education, and health services saw notable job losses, while leisure, hospitality, and professional services experienced gains.
- Wage growth for job stayers remained steady at 4.7%, but the wage premium for job changers dropped to its lowest level in over three years at 6.7%.
- The ADP report precedes the Labor Department's upcoming nonfarm payrolls data, which is expected to show broader employment trends for February.