U.S. private employers added 63,000 jobs in February, marking the strongest monthly gain since July and coming in ahead of economist expectations for roughly 50,000 new roles. The figures, released by payroll processor ADP, suggest the labor market may be regaining some footing after a sluggish start to the year.
Still, a closer look at the report reveals a labor market that remains uneven beneath the surface.
January’s already weak employment reading was revised downward to just 11,000 jobs added, underscoring the fragile hiring environment that characterized much of 2025. February’s improvement, while notable, was driven by only a handful of sectors rather than broad-based hiring across the economy.
Healthcare and education services led the way, adding 58,000 positions, reflecting steady structural demand tied to demographic trends and an aging U.S. population. Construction also contributed meaningfully with 19,000 new jobs, a gain some economists link to ongoing infrastructure activity and continued investment in data-center development tied to AI and cloud expansion.
But strength in those areas masked emerging weakness elsewhere.
Professional and business services—one of the largest white-collar employment categories—shed 30,000 jobs during the month. The sector includes consulting, accounting, marketing, legal services, and administrative roles, making the decline notable for the broader knowledge-economy workforce.
Manufacturing and certain business service segments also experienced job losses, highlighting the uneven distribution of hiring demand across the economy.
In fact, the wage premium for workers switching employers fell to a record low in February, a signal that labor market mobility may be slowing. Historically, job-changers have been able to command meaningfully higher pay increases than employees staying with their current companies.
ADP reported that annual pay growth for workers staying in their roles rose 4.5%, while job changers saw a median pay increase of 6.3%—a gap that has narrowed significantly compared with earlier years of the post-pandemic labor boom.
The report arrives amid continued headlines about layoffs across parts of the corporate landscape. Companies including Block, Whirlpool, and eBay have recently announced workforce reductions, in some cases tied to restructuring initiatives or technological shifts such as artificial intelligence adoption.
For investors, the mixed signals in the ADP report reinforce a theme that has defined the labor market over the past year: slow hiring paired with relatively low layoffs. Employers appear cautious about expanding headcount aggressively, but they also remain reluctant to shed workers after the labor shortages experienced earlier in the decade.
The market will receive a more comprehensive picture of the employment landscape when the U.S. Labor Department releases its official February jobs report later this week. Historically, ADP data does not always align perfectly with the government’s figures, but it often provides an early directional signal.
For now, February’s numbers point to a labor market that may be stabilizing—but one still marked by sector divergence and cooling worker bargaining power.
