Survey: US businesses add 189,000 jobs in March, tough winters causes hiring pace to slow

U.S. businesses slowed their pace of hiring in March, a private survey found. The modest gains suggest that harsh winter weather has generated a broader slowdown that caused the survey to report gains of less than 200,000 jobs for the first time in 13 months.

Payroll processor ADP says companies added 189,000 jobs last month.

The figures come just before Friday's government report, which economists forecast will show an increase of 250,000 jobs.

The ADP numbers cover only private businesses and sometimes diverge from the government's more comprehensive report, which includes government agencies.

A burst of hiring in the past year has lifted the number of Americans earning paychecks, yet average hourly wages have risen at a sluggish 2 percent pace.