Private payrolls increased by 184,000 in March, better than expected, ADP says

The U.S. labor market continues to thrive, with private sector job growth hitting its highest level since mid-2023.

In March, companies added 184,000 workers, significantly more than the previous month.

The sectors leading this growth were leisure and hospitality, construction, and trade.

Not only is job growth robust, but wages are also rising at a solid pace.

Workers who stayed in their current jobs experienced a 5.1% annual wage increase, while job switchers saw even higher gains of 10%.

This wage growth is spread across both goods and services industries, signaling that inflation pressures may be broadening.

The job gains were particularly strong in larger companies and the Southern region of the country.

Small businesses contributed a modest 16,000 jobs to the total.

While the ADP report is a precursor to the official Labor Department job numbers due out on Friday, there is often a discrepancy between the two.

The Federal Reserve is monitoring the labor market and inflation data closely.

The strong payroll growth and improving inflation give the Fed some room to be patient in its approach to raising interest rates.

However, Fed officials have indicated that they need to see more evidence of sustained inflation decline before starting to reduce rates.