U.S. Companies Add More Jobs Than Forecast

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg.

Hiring at U.S. companies accelerated last month, rebounding from a weak February marked by severe weather in some regions of the country. In March, private-sector payrolls increased by 155,000, according to ADP Research. That was above all but one estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The gains were driven by professional and business services, financial activities, and manufacturing.

“Despite policy uncertainty and downbeat consumers, the bottom line is this: The March top-line number was a good one for the economy and employers of all sizes, if not necessarily all sectors,” Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, said in a statement.