Private Sector Jobs Growth Slows Sharply in July

The private sector added only 44,000 jobs in July, falling short of economists' expectations of 75,000 new hires. This slowdown marks a significant drop from June's downwardly revised 95,000 gain and signals a meaningful deceleration in job growth across the country.

The ADP National Employment Report shows this was the weakest month of hiring so far in 2026. A separate report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics painted an even weaker picture for overall employment, showing nonfarm payrolls declined by 23,000 in July, missing expectations for around 80,000 new jobs.

Despite the hiring slowdown, wage growth remained resilient. ADP reported that annual pay was up 4.4 percent in July, with job switchers seeing pay increases of 6.8 percent and job stayers gaining 4.4 percent.