Private sector employment rose by 185,000 from June to July,
according to the economic
report released today by payroll-processing
company ADP and its partner Moody’s Analytics. Although July’s gains are
slower than June’s
revised growth of 229,000 jobs, ADP president and CEO Carlos Rodriguez
said in a press release that the figures are “still
in line with what we have seen since the first of the year.”
“Job growth is strong, but it has moderated since the beginning of the year,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics in the press release. “Layoffs in the energy industry and weaker job gains in manufacturing are behind the slowdown.”
The construction industry grew by 15,000 jobs in July, the
lowest monthly gain it has experienced in 15 months. The manufacturing
industry, which lost jobs from March to May, added 2,000 jobs in July. Professional and business services, a category
that encompasses architecture and engineering firms, posted an
increase of 42,000 jobs, which is slightly above this year’s monthly average gain of
38,000.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release its July jobs report on Friday, which will provide more specific details about job growth in the construction, architecture, and engineering fields.
