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ADP National Employment Report: Private Sector Employment Increased by 117,000 Jobs in February
March 3, 2021

ROSELAND, N.J. – March 3, 2021 Private sector employment increased by 117,000 jobs from January to February according to the February ADP® National Employment ReportTM.  Broadly distributed to the public each month, free of charge, the ADP National Employment Report is produced by the ADP Research Institute® in collaboration with Moody’s Analytics.  The report, which is derived from ADP’s actual payroll data, measures the change in total nonfarm private employment each month on a seasonally-adjusted basis.  

February 2021 Report Highlights*

View the ADP National Employment Report Infographic at www.adpemploymentreport.com.

Total U.S. Nonfarm Private Employment:                    117,000

By Company Size

  • Small businesses:                                             32,000
    • 1-19 employees                                      21,000
    • 20-49 employees                                    12,000
  • Medium businesses:                                         57,000
    • 50-499 employees                                   57,000
  • Large businesses:                                             28,000
    • 500-999 employees                                 33,000
    • 1,000+ employees                                   -5,000

By Sector

  • Goods-producing:                                            -14,000
    • Natural resources/mining                           3,000
    • Construction                                            -3,000
    • Manufacturing                                        -14,000
  • Service-providing:                                           131,000
    • Trade/transportation/utilities                     48,000
    • Information                                              -3,000
    • Financial activities                                           0
    • Professional/business services                 22,000
      • Professional/technical services    10,000
      • Management of 
        companies/enterprises                         0
  • Administrative/support services    12,000
  • Education/health services                        35,000
    • Health care/social assistance       32,000
    • Education                                     3,000
  • Leisure/hospitality                                   26,000
  • Other services                                          3,000

* Sum of components may not equal total, due to rounding.

  • Franchise Employment**
    • Franchise jobs                                          35,500

**Complete details on franchise employment can be found here.

“The labor market continues to post a sluggish recovery across the board,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. “We’re seeing large-sized companies increasingly feeling the effects of COVID-19, while job growth in the goods producing sector pauses. With the pandemic still in the driver’s seat, the service sector remains well below its pre-pandemic levels; however, this sector is one that will likely benefit the most over time with reopenings and increased consumer confidence.”

Chart 1. Change in Total Nonfarm Private Employment

Chart 2. Historical Trend - Change in Total Nonfarm Private Employment

Chart 3. Change in Nonfarm Private Employment by Industry

Chart 4. Change in Nonfarm Private Employment by Company Size

The matched sample used to develop the ADP National Employment Report was derived from ADP payroll data, which represents 460,000 U.S. clients employing nearly 26 million workers in the U.S. The January total of jobs added was revised from 174,000 to 195,000.  

In February’s report, the following scheduled annual revisions have been reflected in the estimates of employment shown in the ADP National Employment Report:

  • Adjustments of historical job growth estimates consistent with Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data through March 2020 and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual benchmarking process.
  • Incorporation of March 2020 industry and size class data from the QCEW in the generation process.

To obtain additional information about the ADP National Employment Report, including additional charts, supporting data and the schedule of future release dates, or to subscribe to the monthly email alerts and RSS feeds, please visit www.adpemploymentreport.com.

The March 2021 ADP National Employment Report will be released at 8:15 a.m. ET on March 31, 2021.

About the ADP® National Employment ReportTM
The ADP® National Employment ReportTM is a monthly measure of the change in total U.S. nonfarm private employment derived from actual, anonymous payroll data of client companies served by ADP®, a leading provider of human capital management solutions.  The report, which measures nearly 26 million U.S. workers, is produced by the ADP Research Institute®, a specialized group within the company that provides insights around employment trends and workforce strategy, in collaboration with Moody’s Analytics, Inc.

Each month, ADP Research Institute issues the ADP National Employment Report as part of the company’s commitment to adding deeper insights into the U.S. labor market and providing businesses, governments and others with a source of credible and valuable information.  The ADP National Employment Report is broadly distributed to the public each month, free of charge.

The data for this report is collected for pay periods that can be interpolated to include the week of the 12th of each month, and processed with statistical methodologies similar to those used by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to compute employment from its monthly survey of establishments.  Due to this processing, this subset is modified to make it indicative of national employment levels; therefore, the resulting employment changes computed for the ADP National Employment Report are not representative of changes in ADP’s total base of U.S. business clients.

For a description of the underlying data and the statistical model used to create this report, please see the ADP National Employment Report: Development Methodology.

About the ADP Research Institute
The mission of the ADP Research Institute is to generate data-driven discoveries about the world of work, and to derive reliable economic indicators from these insights. We offer these findings to the world at large as our unique contribution to making the world of work better and more productive, and to bring greater awareness to the economy at large.

About Moody’s Analytics
Moody’s Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs.

About ADP (NASDAQ – ADP)
Designing better ways to work through cutting-edge products, premium services and exceptional experiences that enable people to reach their full potential.  HR, Talent, Time Management, Benefits and Payroll. Informed by data and designed for people.   Learn more at ADP.com

ADP, the ADP logo, and Always Designing for People, ADP National Employment Report, ADP Small Business Report, ADP National Franchise Report, and ADP Research Institute are registered trademarks of ADP, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Copyright © 2021 ADP, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Media Contact:
Joanna DiNizio
ADP, Inc.
(973) 369-8167
joanna.dinizio@adp.com