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U.S. Companies Add Fewest Jobs Since 2010, ADP Data Show

U.S. Companies Add Fewest Jobs Since 2010, ADP Data Show

(Bloomberg) -- Companies in May added the fewest U.S. workers in any month since 2010, suggesting a potential pullback in the labor market amid weakness in some parts of the economy.

Private payrolls increased by 27,000 after a downwardly revised 271,000 gain in April, according to data released Wednesday by the ADP Research Institute. That compares with the median estimate of 185,000 in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

U.S. Companies Add Fewest Jobs Since 2010, ADP Data Show

Key Insights

  • The data suggest payroll gains in Friday’s jobs report in the Labor Department could be lower than expected, which might add to investor bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year to shore up the economy. A recent string of weak reports on retail sales, factory orders and home purchases indicate growth is slowing as the trade war weighs on businesses.
  • Goods-producing industries slumped, highlighted by a 36,000 decline in jobs in construction -- the biggest drop since 2010 -- along with losses in manufacturing and in natural resources and mining, according to the report. Small firms are also feeling pain, with payrolls at businesses with fewer than 50 employees dropping by 52,000, the most in nine years.
  • The employment picture may face further headwinds in coming months as companies deal with potential supply-chain issues and pinched margins amid intensifying tensions with some the U.S.’s largest trading partners. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on all imports from Mexico starting Monday, with the levies escalating unless the nation stops migrants from crossing illegally into the U.S.

Market Reaction

Treasuries rallied following the report, sending the 10-year note’s yield down to 2.08%, while stock futures pared gains and the dollar fell.

Economist’s View

“Job growth is moderating,” Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics Inc., said in a statement. Moody’s produces the figures with ADP. “Labor shortages are impeding job growth, particularly at small companies, and layoffs at brick-and-mortar retailers are hurting.”

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  • Service providers added 71,000 jobs in May -- the least since 2017 and down from 223,000 in April -- highlighted by a 33,000 increase in education and health services.
  • Companies employing 500 or more workers increased staffing by 68,000 jobs, up from the prior month, while payrolls grew by 11,000 at businesses with 50 to 499 employees, a nine-year low.

--With assistance from Chris Middleton.

To contact the reporter on this story: Reade Pickert in Washington at epickert@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Scott Lanman at slanman@bloomberg.net, Jeff Kearns

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.