U.S. labor market was expanding in mid-October, new weekly ADP report shows

By Greg Robb

In September, ADP reported that private employers shed 32,000 jobs

Job growth was cooling prior to the government shutdown, which started on Oct. 1 and has delayed the release of the September jobs report.

The U.S. labor market continued to expand through mid-October, according to a new preliminary weekly index on the frequency of private-sector hiring released by payroll firm ADP on Tuesday.

ADP said private-sector employers added an average of 14,250 jobs per week in the four weeks ending Oct. 11.

While not a strong pickup, this is an improvement from the previous week. In September, ADP reported that private employers shed 32,000 jobs.

Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, said the data suggests there will be more hiring in October than September.

"It is not glorious. It is tepid, [but] we are seeing enough strength to keep consumer spending steady," she added.

The monthly ADP report will be released next Wednesday.

Economists are closely watching data like ADP's to gauge the health of the labor market, because the government has not released jobs data since the government shutdown began on Oct. 1.

ADP had been giving the Fed weekly data on the labor market, according to speeches from Fed officials over the past few years.

The payroll firm said it would release a "pulse" of the four-week average change in employment with a two-week lag every Tuesday.

Earlier this month, there were reports that ADP had stopped sharing the weekly data with the central bank after Fed governor Christopher Waller mentioned the company's weekly data in a speech.

In its release, ADP didn't mention the Fed but said the data would now be available "to all."

-Greg Robb

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10-28-25 1205ET