Private Sector Adds 187K Jobs in January

U.S. private employers added 187,000 jobs in January compared with a revised gain of 247,000 jobs in December, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

The December figure was originally reported as a gain of 297,000 jobs.

The median of estimates from 29 economists surveyed by Reuters for the ADP Employer Services report, jointly developed with Macroeconomic Advisers LLC, was for a rise of 145,000 private-sector jobs in January.

The ADP figures come ahead of the U.S. government's much more comprehensive labor market report on Friday, which includes both public and private sector employment.

That report is expected to show a rise in overall nonfarm payrolls of 145,000 in January, based on a Reuters poll of analysts, but a rise in private payrolls of 155,000.

Economists often refer to the ADP report to fine-tune their expectations for the payrolls numbers, though it is not always accurate in predicting the outcome.