US private employers add 86,000 jobs in October, with hiring concentrated in services

Applicants and employers talk at a First Source Jobs Program job fair on October 24, 2014. Archival photo. It is not a photograph of the November 2026 data release. Photo: Mscalafani · CC BY-SA 4.0.

Services support job gains as professional services keep shrinking

ADP’s National Employment Report, released on November 4, estimates that US private employers added a net 86,000 jobs in October 2026, a second consecutive month of growth. Service-providing industries contributed 82,000 jobs and goods-producing industries 4,000. Trade, transportation and utilities added 39,000 jobs, while education and health services added 28,000. Professional and business services lost 27,000 jobs, their third consecutive monthly decline. September’s increase was revised from the previously reported 90,000 to 86,000.¹

The figures come from anonymised payroll data processed by ADP for more than 26 million US private-sector workers. They are not the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ official nonfarm payroll report and do not cover government employment. ADP provides a frequent, detailed view of the private sector, but the two statistical systems differ in their samples, definitions and adjustment methods. The gain of 86,000 should not be treated as the forthcoming official employment result.¹

Base pay and total earnings need separate interpretation

The pay measures also deserve a closer look. ADP reports median year-over-year base-pay growth of 3.2% across all observed employees and total-earnings growth of 4.7%. Base pay rose 3.0% for job-stayers and 4.8% for job-changers. Total earnings can also be affected by hours worked, overtime and bonuses, so faster earnings growth does not necessarily mean fixed pay is rising at the same rate.¹

October hiring was not at a standstill across the economy, but the sources of growth were uneven. Net gains in services supported the headline figure, while the continuing contraction in professional services is a reason to look beyond the total job count. Changes in employment and in the different components of pay should also be examined separately, rather than using one measure to draw a conclusion about the entire labour market. Official employment statistics will help establish whether they confirm this direction and whether industry trends persist. ADP’s figures alone do not demonstrate that the labour market has begun accelerating again.

Source notes

1. 2026-11-04 · ADP National Employment Report: Private-Sector Employment Increased by 86,000 Jobs in October · ADP Research. ↩ ↩² ↩³