Private-sector employment grew by 135,000 jobs in September, despite the impact of a pair of devastating storms in Harvey and Irma, according to the latest report from Roseland-based ADP.
The payroll and human resources company said in its monthly ADP National Employment Report that large businesses led the way, with firms of 500-plus workers adding 79,000 jobs for the month. That contrasted with small businesses with less than 50 employees, which actually saw employment shrink by 7,000 jobs. Medium-sized companies of 50 to 499 workers added 63,000 positions.
“In September, small businesses experienced a dip in hiring,” Ahu Yildirmaz, vice president and co-head of the ADP Research Institute, said in a prepared statement. “This is, in part, due to hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which significantly impacted smaller retailers. In addition, the continued slowdown we have seen in small-business hiring could be due to a lack of competitive compensation to attract skilled talent.”
It was a strong month for the goods-producing sector, which added 48,000 jobs, including 29,000 in construction and 18,000 in manufacturing.
The services sector added 88,000 jobs, including 51,000 in professional and business services and 29,000 in education and health services. However, some sectors, including trade/transportation/utilities and information, saw lower employment. They posted totals of 18,000 and 11,000 jobs lost, respectively.
“Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hurt the job market in September,” Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics, said in a statement. “Looking through the storms, the job market remains sturdy and strong.”
