US Private Payroll Growth Slows to Start 2026: ADP

Education and health care services led private-sector job growth, while manufacturing slowed.

A hiring sign at a store in Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 5, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

U.S. private payroll growth cooled at the start of 2026, rising at a slower‑than‑expected pace, according to ADP data released on Feb. 4.

The private sector added 22,000 jobs in January, down from a downwardly revised 37,000 in December 2025, the payroll processor stated in its National Employment Report.