US private payrolls rise 86,000 in October, beating forecasts

US private sector employment rose 86,000 in October, a second straight solid month that beat the 69,000 forecast, with services providing 82,000 of the gain and professional and business services shedding jobs for a third month.

Why it matters: The ADP reading is the last labour market signal before the Bureau of Labor Statistics employment report on Friday, and its steady hiring and firm pay growth give the Federal Reserve no new reason to hurry toward the December meeting.

Data as of ADP National Employment Report for October 2026, released November 4, 2026 by ADP Research with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab and read in full from the ADP release in this run; all employment and pay figures are ADP's own. The 69,000 consensus forecast is from a Reuters poll of economists, reported by Reuters. Developing item.

Private employers added 86,000 jobs in October, ADP said on Wednesday, a second month of solid hiring that beat the 69,000 increase economists polled by Reuters had forecast. September’s gain was revised down to 86,000 from 90,000, so the pace of hiring was flat rather than accelerating, and the gain was concentrated in services, which added 82,000 jobs against 4,000 in goods production, while professional and business services lost 27,000 jobs for a third straight monthly decline.

Pay growth stayed firm. Base pay rose 3.2 percent over the year and gross pay 4.7 percent, with job changers’ earnings growth at its fastest pace since March 2024, according to ADP chief economist Nela Richardson. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the official October employment report on Friday.

US private payrolls rise 86,000 in October, beating forecasts

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