Private-sector employment picks up in March

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Private-sector-employment gains picked up in March, with employers adding the most jobs in three months, and quicker hiring may be ahead, Automatic Data Processing Inc. reported Wednesday.

ADP said private-sector employers added 191,000 jobs last month, up from 178,000 in February. A prior estimate pegged February’s increase at 139,000.

“The job market is coming out from its deep winter slumber. Job gains are consistent with the pace prior to the brutal winter,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, which prepares the report with ADP’s data. “Even better numbers are likely in coming months as the weather warms.”

Markets will look for clues in the private-sector jobs data about whether the labor market got back on track in March after hiring slowed during a tough winter. The ADP data contrast with a recent report on U.S. manufacturers that showed employment growth slowed down last month, echoing separate data on Chicago-area businesses.

3:00pm USD Factory Orders m/m 1.6% 1.3% -1.0%