ADP National Employment Report: Private Sector Employment Shed 32,000 Jobs in September; Annual Pay was Up 4.5%

Core Insights - Private sector employment decreased by 32,000 jobs in September 2025, with year-over-year pay growth at 4.5% [1][4][8] - The ADP National Employment Report indicates a cautious hiring approach by U.S. employers despite strong economic growth in the previous quarter [2] Employment Changes - Total job loss in September was 32,000, with goods-producing sectors losing 3,000 jobs and service-providing sectors losing 28,000 jobs [5][4] - Job losses were observed across various regions: Northeast gained 21,000 jobs, Midwest lost 63,000, South gained 3,000, and West gained 15,000 [5] - Small establishments saw a loss of 40,000 jobs, while large establishments (500+ employees) gained 33,000 jobs [5] Industry-Specific Changes - Notable job losses by industry included leisure/hospitality (-19,000), professional/business services (-13,000), and financial activities (-9,000) [7] - Education/health services added 33,000 jobs, indicating growth in that sector [7] Pay Insights - Year-over-year pay growth for job-stayers remained stable at 4.5%, while pay growth for job-changers decreased to 6.6% from 7.1% in August [8] - Median annual pay change for job-stayers varied by firm size, with large firms (500+ employees) showing a median change of 4.8% [9] Benchmarking and Revisions - ADP conducted a preliminary rebenchmarking of the National Employment Report, resulting in a reduction of 43,000 jobs compared to pre-benchmarked data [4][11] - The number of jobs created in August was revised from 54,000 to a loss of 3,000 [11]