Private-Sector Job Growth Slows to 90,000 in September: ADP
ADP's September report shows private payrolls grew by just 90,000 jobs, with base pay up 3.2% and gross pay rising 4.7%.
Private-sector employment expanded by 90,000 jobs in September, according to the ADP National Employment Report produced by ADP Research in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, signaling a deceleration in labor market momentum heading into the final quarter of 2026.
Wage growth remained a notable feature of the report. Base pay climbed 3.2% on an annual basis, while gross pay — which includes overtime and bonuses — rose at a faster 4.7% clip, suggesting workers are supplementing regular earnings through additional hours or variable compensation.
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The September figure represents a softer hiring pace than recent months have shown, raising fresh questions about whether businesses are pulling back on headcount amid persistent economic uncertainty. The ADP report, released from Roseland, N.J., is widely watched as an early gauge of labor conditions ahead of the government's official monthly jobs data.
Analysts often note that the ADP and federal payroll figures can diverge meaningfully in any given month, but a sustained string of sub-100,000 readings would typically signal cooling demand for workers. The broader implications for Federal Reserve monetary policy and consumer spending will likely draw scrutiny as markets assess the health of the U.S. economy.
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