Private employers added just 77,000 jobs in February, far below expectations, ADP says

Private sector job creation slowed to a crawl in February, fueling concerns of an economic slowdown, payrolls processing firm ADP reported Wednesday.

Companies added just 77,000 new workers for the month, well off the upwardly revised 186,000 in January and below the 148,000 Dow Jones consensus estimate, according to seasonally adjusted figures from ADP.

The total was the smallest increase since July and comes at a time when worries are rising that economic growth is slowing and worries brew that President Donald Trump’s tariff plans will spark another round of inflation...