By Christopher Rugaber

U.S. companies added jobs at a modest pace last month, a private survey found, a sign that while hiring continues, it is only soaking up a relatively small proportion of the unemployed.

Payroll processor ADP said Wednesday that businesses added 428,000 jobs in August, a figure that before the pandemic would have represented a healthy gain. But the increase represents a small slice of the 12 million jobs that have been lost to the spread of the coronavirus.

ADP said the bulk of the gains were at large companies, which added 298,000 jobs. Small businesses with less than 50 employees gained just 52,000 positions, while medium-sized firms — with between 50 and 499 employees — added 79,000 jobs.

"Given the enormous job losses during the Viral Recession, job growth of around 400,000 per month means that it would take years for the labor market to recover from the coronavirus pandemic," Gus Faucher, an economist at PNC, said.

ADP's figures do not include government workers and frequently diverge from the Labor Department's official jobs report. The August jobs report from the government will be released Friday. ADP revised up its July job gain to 212,000, but that is still far below the 1.8 million additional jobs that month reported by the federal government.

Economists forecast that the Labor Department on Friday will report that 1.4 million jobs were added in August, while the unemployment rate is expected to have fallen to 9.8 percent from 10.2 percent, according to data provider FactSet.

Share:
More In Business
Lyft to Pick Up New CEO Amid Deepening Post-Pandemic Losses
Lyft co-founders Logan Green and John Zimmer are relinquishing their leadership roles to make way for a former Amazon executive as the ride-hailing service struggles to recover from the pandemic while long-time rival Uber has been regaining its momentum.
Fed Official: SVB Caused Its Own Collapse
The Fed's vice chair for supervision will testify Tuesday that the central bank will look into the possibility that a 2018 law contributed to SVB's collapse by allowing them to keep less cash on hand.
The Day Ahead: Economic Data, Senate Banking Hearing and Earnings
Cheddar News breaks down what to look for on The Day Ahead. Economic data, including Jan. home prices and consumer confidence, are slated to be released while the Senate Banking Committee has a hearing scheduled in the wake of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. Earnings from Walgreens, Lululemon and Micron are also expected.
Disney Rolls Out First Round of Layoffs
Disney's first round of layoffs starts this week and will eventually to the loss of about 7,000 jobs after three rounds, according to a memo sent by CEO Bob Iger.
Biden's Pick to Lead FAA Withdraws Amid Shaky Senate Support
President Joe Biden’s choice to run the Federal Aviation Administration has withdrawn his nomination, a setback for the administration that comes after Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington appeared to lack enough support in the closely divided Senate.
Load More