WASHINGTON (AP) – American businesses stepped up hiring last month, led by strong gains in retail, finance and other service industries, a private survey found.
Payroll processor ADP said Wednesday that companies added 217,000 jobs last month, the most in five months. Service sector firms added 204,000, while manufacturers hired just 6,000.
The figures come just two days before the government issues its official jobs report for November. Economists forecast that it will show employers added 200,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate remained 5 percent.
A robust jobs report at the end of this week would make it very likely that the Federal Reserve would raise short-term interest rates later this month for the first time in nine years.
Steady consumer spending is supporting greater hiring in services, which includes higher-paying professional positions such as information technology and engineering jobs. That is helping to offset weak job gains in sectors like manufacturing, which is struggling with faltering economies overseas and the strong dollar.