Bloomberg (01/05/12) Homan, Timothy
Private-sector payrolls increased 325,000 in December, led by the service-providing sector and small businesses, according to the ADP employment report released on Jan. 5. The large gain exceeded the highest projection in a Bloomberg News survey, and is a sign that the U.S. labor market was gaining momentum heading into 2012.
The November level was revised to 204,000 from a prior estimate of 206,000. Observers look to ADP’s report on private-sector payrolls to provide some guidance on the U.S. Labor Department’s jobs estimate, which will be released on Jan. 6 and includes information on both private- and public-sector payrolls.