U.S. private sector creates 213,000 jobs in September: ADP

Job market improving but 'still a lot of slack'

NEW YORK (Reuters) — U.S. private employers added213,000 jobs in September, just above economists' expectations, a report by apayrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast the ADPNational Employment Report would show a gain of 210,000 jobs.

"Job gains remain strong and steady," said MarkZandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, which co-develops the report.

"Especially encouraging most recently is theincreasingly broad base nature of those gains," he said in a pressrelease. "Nearly all industries and companies of all sizes are addingconsistently to payrolls.”

The numbers came ahead of September data on the U.S.manufacturing sector, with separate reports due at 9:45 a.m. EDT and 10 a.m.,and a reading on construction spending due also at 10 a.m.

In the ADP report, August private payrolls were reviseddown to 202,000 from the previously reported 204,000. September was the sixthconsecutive month the figure came in above 200,000.

"It's still suggesting the job market is improvingbut there is still a lot of slack remaining," said Scott Brown, chiefeconomist at Raymond James in St. Petersburg, Florida.

"It doesn’t add a lot to expectations for Friday’spayroll number."

The ADP figures come ahead of the government's morecomprehensive payrolls report due Friday, which includes both public andprivate sector employment. That report is expected to show the U.S. economyadded 215,000 jobs last month.

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