US private hiring slows to 44,000 jobs in July

US private-sector employers added 44,000 jobs in July, payroll firm ADP said Wednesday, pointing to slower hiring before the US government's official employment report due Friday.

ADP said leisure and hospitality employers cut 11,000 jobs, while trade, transport and utilities shed 8,000. Education and health services added 36,000 jobs, and manufacturing added 2,000.

ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said job-changers were “highly sensitive to real-time economic conditions.”

The firm said pay growth for workers who changed jobs rose to 7% year on year, the biggest such increase since August 2025. Pay growth for workers who stayed in their jobs was steady at 4.4%.