The numbers: U.S. private payrolls rose by 455,000 in March, according to the ADP National Employment Report released Wednesday.
Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a gain of 450,000 private sector jobs in March.Private-sector job growth was revised to 486,000 in February, up slightly from the initial estimate of 475,000. Service sector providers added 377,000 jobs in March. Leisure and hospitality added 161,000 workers. Meanwhile, goods producers added 79,000 jobs. Manufacturing added 54,000 jobs.
Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal forecast a total payroll gain of 490,000 jobs in March from the Labor Department on Friday and that the unemployment rate will drop to 3.7% from 3.8%. Job growth totaled 678,000 in February. The government’s data will be released Friday at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.