WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2026 — U.S. companies added 90,000 jobs in September, according to an ADP report released Wednesday. The September job tally followed a downwardly revised gain of 36,000 jobs in August and exceeded the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 68,000 jobs.
Service providers added 59,000 jobs, while goods-producing companies added 31,000. Base pay increased 3.2% from a year earlier, while gross pay rose 4.7%. “It’s a strong report,” said Nela Richardson, ADP’s chief economist. “After a three-month slowdown, job creation rebounded, and pay growth remained solid.”
Education and Health Services Add Most Jobs
Education and health services added 55,000 jobs in September, the largest increase among the industries tracked in the report. Leisure and hospitality added 22,000 jobs, followed by manufacturing with 17,000 and construction with 15,000.
Employment declined in several industries. Financial activities lost 16,000 jobs, professional and business services lost 11,000, and natural resources and mining lost 1,000.
Northeast Leads Regional Employment Growth
The Northeast added 56,000 private-sector jobs in September, the largest gain among the regions reported by ADP. Companies with 50 to 499 employees added 54,000 jobs, the largest increase among the company-size categories reported by ADP.
The September increase followed three months of slower private-sector job creation. The report showed higher hiring in September while annual pay growth remained positive.
Federal Reserve Watches Jobs and Inflation
The employment increase comes as Federal Reserve policymakers assess labor-market conditions and inflation. Federal Reserve officials have said the labor market remains broadly sound after concerns about economic growth in 2025.
Inflation remains a concern for monetary policy. The Federal Reserve raised the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points in September as inflation remained above the central bank’s 2% target.
Photo credit: Pexels
BLS Employment Report Due Friday
The ADP report comes two days before the Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release its September employment report on Friday. The Wall Street consensus calls for an increase of 84,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, compared with 162,000 in August.
The unemployment rate is expected to remain at 4.1%. The BLS report covers both private and government employment, while the ADP report measures private-sector employment. The two reports use different data sources and can produce different monthly job totals.
Service providers added 59,000 jobs, while goods-producing companies added 31,000. Base pay increased 3.2% from a year earlier, while gross pay rose 4.7%.
