US Private Payrolls Unexpectedly Decline in September: ADP

‘The big picture is that America still has a low hire, low fire, low gear job market,’ says one chief economist.

A hiring ad is displayed at a store in Columbia, Md., on Sept. 18, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Private employers unexpectedly cut 32,000 jobs in September, marking the steepest decline since March 2023 and signaling renewed weakness in the U.S. labor market.

The figures, released on Oct. 1 in ADP’s National Employment Report, also showed a downward revision to August payrolls—from an initially reported gain of 54,000 to a loss of 3,000.