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ADP: Private Sector Adds 325,000 Jobs

January 05, 2012

Private-sector employment in the U.S. rose by 325,000 in December, seasonally adjusted, according to the national employment report released today by Automatic Data Processing Inc. (NASD: ADP). In addition, the jobs increase in November was revised down to 204,000 from the initially reported 206,000.

The service-providing sector added 273,000 jobs in December, and the goods-producing sector added 52,000.

Small businesses, those with fewer than 50 employees, added the most workers, or 148,000 jobs. Midsize businesses (between 50 and 499 employees) added 140,000 jobs; large companies added 37,000 jobs.

“The estimate for December suggests that employment accelerated for the fourth consecutive month, consistent with the year-end pick-up in economic growth,” said Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisors LLC, which helps produce ADP’s employment report. “Today’s report, which is notably above the consensus forecasts both for today’s numbers and for Friday’s jobs estimate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, points towards a strengthening labor market.”

The ADP report is derived from a sample of approximately 500,000 U.S. business clients.