Private payrolls increased by 192,000 in April, more than expected for resilient labor market

Private payrolls increased at a faster-than-expected pace in April, indicating there are still plenty of tail winds for the U.S. labor market, according to ADP.

A separate report indicated that job openings continue on the decline, falling to their lowest level since early 2021.

The payrolls processing firm reported Wednesday that companies added 192,000 workers for the month, better than the Dow Jones consensus outlook for 183,000 though a slight step down from the upwardly revised 208,000 in March.

At the same time, the firm’s wage measure showed worker pay up 5% from a year ago, a multiyear low that provided some welcome news against multiple other signs showing inflation has proved more resilient than many economists and policymakers had expected.