Private sector employment increased by 242,000 jobs in February and annual pay was up 7.2 percent year-over-year, according to the February ADP^® National Employment Report^TMproduced by the ADP Research Institute^® in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab ("Stanford Lab").

"There is a tradeoff in the labor market right now," said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP.  "We're seeing robust hiring, which is good for the economy and workers, but pay growth is still quite elevated. The modest slowdown in pay increases, on its own, is unlikely to drive down inflation rapidly in the near-term."

February 2023 Report Highlights*

View the ADP National Employment Report and interactive charts at www.adpemploymentreport.com.

Jobs Report

Private employers added 242,000 jobs in February
Job gains are solid and wage growth remains elevated. A particular area of weakness is with small establishments, which shed jobs every month since August 2022.

Change in U.S. Private Employment:     242,000

Change by Industry Sector

- Goods-producing:     52,000

• Natural resources/mining     25,000

• Construction     -16,000

• Manufacturing     43,000

- Service-providing:     190,000

• Trade/transportation/utilities     3,000

• Information     9,000

• Financial activities     62,000

• Professional/business services     -36,000

• Education/health services     35,000

• Leisure/hospitality     83,000

• Other services     34,000

Change by U.S. Regions

- Northeast:     37,000

• New England     2,000

• Middle Atlantic     35,000

- Midwest:     -12,000

• East North Central     -35,000

• West North Central     23,000

- South:     94,000

• South Atlantic     40,000

• East South Central     35,000

• West South Central     19,000

- West:     128,000

• Mountain     29,000

• Pacific     99,000

Change by Establishment Size

- Small establishments:     -61,000

• 1-19 employees     -56,000

• 20-49 employees     -5,000

- Medium establishments:     148,000

• 50-249 employees     77,000

• 250-499 employees     71,000

- Large establishments:     160,000

• 500+ employees     160,000

Pay Insights

Pay growth slowed in February
Pay growth for job stayers slowed to 7.2 percent in February, the slowest pace of gains in 12 months. Pay growth decelerated for job changers, too, falling to 14.3 percent from 14.9 percent.

Median Change in Annual Pay (ADP matched person sample)

- Job-Stayers     7.2%

- Job-Changers     14.3%

Median Change in Annual Pay for Job-Stayers by Industry Sector

- Goods-producing:                                                       

• Natural resources/mining     7.8%

• Construction     7.1%

• Manufacturing     7.1%

- Service-providing:                                               

• Trade/transportation/utilities     7.4%

• Information     6.5%

• Financial activities     7.3%

• Professional/business services     6.5%

• Education/health services     7.2%

• Leisure/hospitality     10.1%

• Other services     6.8%

Median Change in Annual Pay for Job-Stayers by Firm Size

- Small firms:                                                                

• 1-19 employees     5.6%

• 20-49 employees     7.1%

- Medium firms:                                                             

• 50-249 employees     7.5%

• 250-499 employees     7.4%

- Large firms:                                                                

• 500+ employees     7.5%

To see Pay Insights by U.S. State, Gender, and Age for Job-Stayers, visit here:

* Sum of components may not equal total, due to rounding.

The January total of jobs added was revised from 106,000 to 119,000. The historical data file, and weekly data for the previous month, is available at https://adpemploymentreport.com/.

To subscribe to monthly email alerts or obtain additional information about the ADP National Employment Report, including employment and pay data, interactive charts, methodology, and a calendar of release dates, please visit https://adpemploymentreport.com/.    

The March 2023 ADP National Employment Report will be released at 8:15 a.m. ET on April 5, 2023.