Record · the original document behind a story
Private payrolls rose by 38,000 in August, fewer than expected, ADP reports
Published by CNBC on September 2, 2026.
Coverage of the private payroll processor's own count, published two days before the government report; saved as served.
The cited passage, with surrounding source text
… </script></div></div></div><div class="PageBuilder-containerWidth100 PageBuilder-pageRow"><div class="PageBuilder-col-full PageBuilder-col PageBuilder-article"><div id="RegularArticle-ArticleHeader-2" data-test="articleHeader-0" data-analytics="RegularArticle-articleHeader-2-0"><header class="ArticleHeader-articleHeader" id="main-article-header"><div class="ArticleHeader-headerContentContainer" data-header-content-container="true"><div class="ArticleHeader-wrapperHeroNoImage ArticleHeader-wrapperHero ArticleHeader-wrapper ArticleHeader-wrapperNoImage"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/economy/" class="ArticleHeader-eyebrow">Economy</a><div><h1 class="ArticleHeader-headline">Private payrolls rose by 38,000 in August, less than expected, ADP reports</h1></div><div class="ArticleHeader-timeHidden"><time data-testid="published-timestamp" dateTime="2026-09-02T12:15:20+0000" itemProp="datePublished">Published Wed, Sep 2 2026<span class="ArticleHeader-datetimeDivider"></span>8:15 AM EDT</time><span class="ArticleHeader-timestampDivider"></span><time data-testid="lastpublished-timestamp" dateTime="2026-09-02T14:30:10+0000">Updated 5 Hours Ago</time></div></div><div class="ArticleHeader-authorAndShareInline"><div class="ArticleHeader-authorContainer ArticleHeader-authorContainerWithWatchLive"><div class="ArticleHeader-author"><div class="Author-author"><div class="Author-authorInfo"><img class="Author-authorPortrait" style="border:0" src="https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/107136383-1666097431576-2022_Headshots-6927.jpg?v=1666097477&w=60&h=60&ffmt=webp" alt="thumbnail"/><div class="Author-authorNameAndSocial"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/jeff-cox/" class="Author-authorName">Jeff Cox<span class="Author-authorUnderline"></span></a><a href="https://facebook.com/jeff.cox.7528" class="Author-authorTwitter" target="_blank">@jeff.cox.7528</a><a href="https://twitter.com/JeffCoxCNBCcom" class="Author-authorTwitter" target="_blank">@JeffCoxCNBCcom</a></div></div></div></div></div><span><a href="/live-tv/" class="WatchLive-container">WATCH LIVE</a></span></div></div></header></div></div></div><div class="PageBuilder-containerFluidWidths PageBuilder-pageRow"><div class="PageBuilder-col-9 PageBuilder-col PageBuilder-article"><div class="RenderKeyPoints-keyPoints" id="RegularArticle-KeyPoints-4" data-test="keyPoints-1" data-analytics="RegularArticle-keyPoints-4-1"><div class="RenderKeyPoints-wrapper"><div class="RenderKeyPoints-header">Key Points</div><div class="RenderKeyPoints-list"><div><div class="group"><ul><li>Private companies added 38,000 jobs in August, down from 46,000 and below the estimate for 47,000, for the slowest month since January, according to ADP.</li><li>Three categories accounted for most of the job growth: education and health services, leisure and hospitality and construction. Manufacturing saw a loss of 17,000 jobs.</li><li>The report comes ahead of the BLS nonfarm payrolls count, due out Friday.</li></ul></div></div></div></div></div><div class="ArticleBody-articleBody" id="RegularArticle-ArticleBody-5" data-module="ArticleBody" data-test="articleBody-2" data-analytics="RegularArticle-articleBody-5-2"><span class="HighlightShare-hidden" style="top:0;left:0"></span><div role="region" aria-labelledby="Placeholder-ArticleBody-Video-108357666"><div role="button" tabindex="0" id="Placeholder-ArticleBody-Video-108357666" class="PlaceHolder-wrapper" data-vilynx-id="7000423575" data-test="VideoPlaceHolder"><div class="InlineVideo-videoEmbed" id="InlineVideo-0" data-test="InlineVideo"><div class="InlineVideo-wrapper"><div class="InlineVideo-inlineThumbnailContainer"><img class="InlineVideo-videoThumbnail" src="https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/108357667-17883520591788352057-48132831651-1080pnbcnews.jpg?v=1788352058&w=750&h=422&vtcrop=y" alt="Private payrolls rose by 38,000 in August, fewer than expected, ADP reports"/><span class="InlineVideo-videoButton"></span><span><div class="undefined PlayButton-container" data-test="PlayButton"><div class="PlayButton-featured PlayButton-base" data-type="play"><span class="PlayButton-suppressFlyout PlayButton-flyout">watch now</span><span class="icon-play-triangle PlayButton-icon"></span></div></div></span></div><div class="InlineVideo-videoFooter"><div class="InlineVideo-videoDurationContainer"><span class="InlineVideo-videoLabel">VIDEO</span><span class="InlineVideo-videoDurationWithLeading0">0:42</span><span class="InlineVideo-videoDuration InlineVideo-videoLabel">00:42</span></div><div class="InlineVideo-title">Private payrolls rose by 38,000 in August, fewer than expected, ADP reports</div><div class="InlineVideo-section"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/squawk-box-us/">Squawk Box</a></div></div></div></div><div class="PlaceHolder-endCard PlaceHolder-inactive "></div></div></div><div class="group"><p>Private U.S. companies added jobs at a slightly slower-than-expected pace in August, with gains concentrated heavily in healthcare and a few other industries, ADP reported Wednesday.</p><p>The payrolls processing firm said firms added 38,000 workers, fewer than the upwardly revised 46,000 in July and below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 47,000. </p><div style="height:100%" class="lazyload-placeholder"></div><p>Though job creation held positive, August was the smallest gain since January and reflective of a broader slowdown in the labor market. Moreover, most of the jobs came from three sectors, with multiple others showing declines.</p><p>Education and health services added 45,000 to lead all categories, with the latter group being at the forefront of employment growth. </p><p>Leisure and hospitality added 16,000 positions and construction was up 12,000. Outside of that, though, there were few growth areas.</p><p>Manufacturing lost 17,000 jobs, professional and business services was off 16,000, and both natural resources and mining as well as trade, transportation and utilities reported declines of 5,000. </p><p>Almost all of the gains came from big business, with companies employing 500 or more workers adding 34,000 while those with fewer than 50 employees rose by 3,000.</p><div style="height:100%" class="lazyload-placeholder"></div><p>ADP's numbers also showed that pay gains held steady for the month. The firm added a feature in August in which it broke down growth between base and gross pay, the latter including tips, commissions, bonuses and other earnings.</p><p>For those staying in their jobs, base pay rose 3% from a year ago while gross pay increased 4.4%, both unchanged from July. For all workers, the respective increases were 3.2% and 4.7%.</p><p>The ADP report serves as a precursor to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' nonfarm payrolls release, due out Friday, which is expected to show an increase of 53,000, after the 23,000 decline in July. The unemployment rate is forecast to hold at 4.1%.</p></div><div id="ArticleBody-MobileAdhesion" class="MobileAdhesion-container" data-module="mps-slot"></div><div class="ArticleBody-googlePreferredSourceContainer" data-module="GooglePreferredSource" data-id="RegularArticle-GooglePreferredSource-5"><div class="ArticleBody-googlePreferredSourceBorder"></div><a href="https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.cnbc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.</a></div></div></div><div class="SidebarArticle-sidebar PageBuilder-sidebar" data-test="SidebarArticle"><div class="SidebarArticle-sticky" style="top:70px"><div></div><div></div><div style="margin-top:0px"></div><div><div style="height:100%" class="lazyload-placeholder"></div></div></div></div></div><div class="PageBuilder-containerFluidWidths PageBuilder-pageRow"><div class="PageBuilder-col-9 PageBuilder-col PageBuilder-article"></div></div><div class="PageBuilder-containerFluidWidths PageBuilder-pageRow"><div class="PageBuilder-col-12 PageBuilder-col PageBuilder-article"><div style="height:100%" class="lazyload-placeholder"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div id="MobileAdhesion-Homepage" class="MobileAdhesion-container" data-module="mps-slot"></div><footer id="GlobalFooter" class="CNBCFooter-footer" data-mini-video-player-dont-scroll-beyond-here="true" data-test="GlobalFooter" data-analytics="RegularArticle-GlobalFooter"><div class="CNBCFooter-wrapper"><div><a href="//www.cnbc.com" class="CNBCFooter-logo" target="_self"><img src="https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/d6085c9e81f4d7365c8d.svg" class="CNBCFooter-logoImg CNBCFooter-versantLogo" alt="CNBC logo"/></a></div><ul class="CNBCFooter-social"><li class="CNBCFooter-socialItem"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/cnbc/" class="icon-social_facebook" target="_blank" aria-label="facebook"></a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-socialItem"><a href="https://www.twitter.com/cnbc/" class="icon-social_twitter" target="_blank" aria-label="twitter"></a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-socialItem"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/cnbc/" class="icon-social_linkedin" target="_blank" aria-label="linkedin"></a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-socialItem"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/cnbc/" class="icon-social_instagram" target="_blank" aria-label="instagram"></a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-socialItem"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/cnbc/" class="icon-social_youtube" target="_blank" aria-label="youtube"></a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-socialItem"><a href="https://apple.news/T3OtoXcxtRkuHRkM7SpFP_Q" class="icon-social_apple_news" target="_blank" aria-label="apple_news"></a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-socialItem"><a href="/rss-feeds/" class="icon-social_rss" target="_blank" aria-label="rss"></a></li></ul><div class="CNBCFooter-border"></div><ul class="CNBCFooter-list"><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/application/pro/?__source=pro|globalfooter" target="_self">Subscribe to CNBC PRO</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/investingclub/subscribe?__source=investingclub|globalfooter" target="_self">Subscribe to Investing Club</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/cnbc-reprints/" target="_self">Licensing & Reprints</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="https://www.cnbccouncils.com/" target="_blank">CNBC Councils</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/select/" target="_self">Select Personal Finance</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="https://cnbcrsh.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dgRx5X1nYC0YjNI?Origin=cnbc" target="_blank">Join the CNBC Panel</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/closed-captioning/" target="_self">Closed Captioning</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/subscribe/all-access/" target="_self">Digital Products</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/cnbc-news-releases/" target="_self">News Releases</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/cnbc-internship-program/" target="_self">Internships</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/corrections/" target="_self">Corrections</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/about/" target="_self">About CNBC</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/site-map/" target="_self">Site Map</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/podcast/" target="_self">Podcasts</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="/cnbc-careers-and-employment/" target="_self">Careers</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="https://help.cnbc.com/" target="_blank">Help</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-listItem"><a href="https://help.cnbc.com/contact/" target="_blank">Contact</a></li></ul><ul class="CNBCFooter-section"><li class="CNBCFooter-sectionItem"><h4 class="CNBCFooter-sectionTitle">News Tips</h4><p class="CNBCFooter-sectionText">Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.</p><a href="/news-tips/" class="CNBCFooter-sectionLink" target="_self">Get In Touch</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-sectionItem"><h4 class="CNBCFooter-sectionTitle"><span class="icon-newsletter CNBCFooter-sectionIcon"></span>CNBC Newsletters</h4><p class="CNBCFooter-sectionText">Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox</p><a href="/sign-up-for-cnbc-newsletters/" class="CNBCFooter-sectionLink" target="_self">Sign Up Now</a><p class="CNBCFooter-sectionSubText">Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.</p></li><li class="CNBCFooter-sectionItem"><h4 class="CNBCFooter-sectionTitle">Advertise With Us</h4><a href="https://together.nbcuni.com/advertise/?utm_source=cnbc&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=property_ad_pages" class="CNBCFooter-sectionLink" target="_blank">Please Contact Us</a></li></ul><ul class="CNBCFooter-legal"><li class="CNBCFooter-legalItem"><a href="https://www.versantprivacy.com/privacy/cookies#accordionheader3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ad Choices</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-legalItem"><a href="https://www.versantprivacy.com/privacy" target="_blank">Privacy Policy</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-legalItem"><img src="https://static-redesign.cnbcfm.com/dist/17269f1b6083fd5f61be.svg" class="CNBCFooter-legalIcon" alt="California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Opt-Out Icon"/><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="ot-sdk-show-settings ">Your Privacy Choices</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-legalItem"><a href="http://www.versantprivacy.com/privacy/california-consumer-privacy-act" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CA Notice</a></li><li class="CNBCFooter-legalItem"><a href="/terms/" target="_blank">Terms of Service</a></li></ul><p class="CNBCFooter-info">© <!-- -->2026<!-- --> Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.</p><p class="CNBCFooter-reutersInfo"> …
Read the original · Open the copy we saved
Where we use it
- Payrolls rise by 162,000 and July's loss becomes a gain, with two volatile categories supplying 101,000 of it · cited for the ADP private payroll count two days earlier
About this saved copy
The fingerprint identifies the saved text used for this record. A different copy has a different fingerprint.
- Text fingerprint (SHA-256)
ff1cd035ba3a14da974d1cb0f3174e07b88d5173364dcf6f3c1e29e576e76a01