ADP jobs data released on October 20, 2026, showed that U.S. private-sector employment increased by an average of 18,500 jobs a week over the four weeks ending October 3. The preliminary estimate from ADP Research and the Stanford Digital Economy Lab follows a reported gain of 90,000 jobs in September.
Key Takeaways
- Private employers added an average of 18,500 jobs weekly over the four weeks ending October 3.
- September’s monthly gain of 90,000 followed a revised increase of 36,000 in August.
- ADP’s October monthly employment report is scheduled for November 4, 2026.
Table of Contents
- ADP jobs data point to continued private hiring
- September rebound was uneven across industries
- Pay figures add context to the hiring picture
- Conclusion
ADP jobs data point to continued private hiring
The preliminary four-week estimate indicates that private employers continued to add jobs into early October. It measures an average weekly change over a rolling period, rather than employment growth for the full calendar month.
That distinction matters when comparing it with September’s 90,000-job increase. The two figures cover different periods and use different reporting intervals, so the weekly estimate alone does not establish whether October’s monthly hiring pace accelerated or slowed.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | Added 17,000 jobs in September 2026 |
| Construction | Added 15,000 jobs in September 2026 |
| Financial activities | Lost 16,000 jobs in September 2026 |
| Professional and business services | Lost 11,000 jobs in September 2026 |
September rebound was uneven across industries
ADP’s September employment release recorded 90,000 additional private-sector jobs, up from August’s revised gain of 36,000. August’s figure had initially been reported as 38,000.
ADP said hiring accelerated in September for the first time since May. Education and health services added 55,000 jobs, while leisure and hospitality added 22,000. Financial activities and professional and business services, by contrast, shed positions.
The industry breakdown shows why the positive headline should not be read as uniform strength across employers. Service-providing businesses added 59,000 jobs overall, while goods-producing businesses added 31,000.
Pay figures add context to the hiring picture
September’s accompanying pay data showed annual base-pay growth of 3.2% across private-sector workers and gross-pay growth of 4.7%. Base pay rose 3.0% for workers staying in their jobs and 4.8% for those changing jobs.
Those figures measure year-over-year changes in pay, not monthly wage increases. They provide a separate view of worker compensation alongside the employment estimates.
ADP describes its employment report as an independent labor-market measure based on anonymized weekly payroll data covering more than 26 million U.S. private-sector employees. Its scope is private employment, rather than the entire labor market.
Conclusion
The preliminary weekly estimate extends the picture of positive private-sector hiring into early October, without establishing a full-month trend. The next scheduled update is ADP’s October National Employment Report on November 4, 2026, at 8:15 a.m. ET.
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