Private sector employment in the U.S. increased by 233,000 jobs in October, while annual pay for job-stayers grew by 4.6% year-over-year, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report. Produced by ADP Research in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, the report provides an independent, high-frequency view of the private-sector labor market based on payroll data from over 25 million U.S. employees.

“Even amid hurricane recovery, job growth was strong in October,” said Nela Richardson, Chief Economist at ADP. “As we round out the year, hiring in the U.S. is proving to be robust and broadly resilient.”

October 2024 ADP Jobs Report Highlights

Job Growth by Sector

The private sector saw its strongest job creation since July 2023, driven by robust growth in most industries. Manufacturing was the only sector to see a reduction in employment.

• Goods-producing sectors: Added 22,000 jobs
  • Natural resources/mining: +4,000
  • Construction: +37,000
  • Manufacturing: -19,000
• Service-providing sectors: Added 211,000 jobs
  • Trade/transportation/utilities: +51,000
  • Information: +7,000
  • Financial activities: +11,000
  • Professional/business services: +31,000
  • Education/health services: +53,000
  • Leisure/hospitality: +37,000
  • Other services: +21,000

Regional Employment Changes

Employment gains varied across U.S. regions, with the South seeing the highest increase.

• Northeast: +48,000
  • New England: -6,000
  • Middle Atlantic: +54,000
• Midwest: +63,000
  • East North Central: +51,000
  • West North Central: +12,000
• South: +77,000
  • South Atlantic: +60,000
  • East South Central: -13,000
  • West South Central: +30,000
• West: +44,000
  • Mountain: +26,000
  • Pacific: +18,000

Employment by Establishment Size

Large establishments led job growth, adding 140,000 jobs, while smaller establishments saw minimal gains.

• Small establishments: +4,000
  • 1-19 employees: +10,000
  • 20-49 employees: -6,000
• Medium establishments: +86,000
  • 50-249 employees: +58,000
  • 250-499 employees: +28,000
• Large establishments: +140,000

Pay Insights

In October, pay growth slowed for both job-stayers and job-changers. Job-stayers saw a year-over-year pay increase of 4.6%, while job-changers experienced a 6.2% increase.

Median Annual Pay Change by Industry for Job-Stayers

• Goods-producing sectors:
  • Natural resources/mining: +3.4%
  • Construction: +4.9%
  • Manufacturing: +4.5%
• Service-providing sectors:
  • Trade/transportation/utilities: +4.4%
  • Information: +4.3%
  • Financial activities: +4.9%
  • Professional/business services: +4.5%
  • Education/health services: +5.1%
  • Leisure/hospitality: +4.6%
  • Other services: +4.8%

Median Annual Pay Change by Firm Size for Job-Stayers

• Small firms:
  • 1-19 employees: +3.9%
  • 20-49 employees: +4.6%
• Medium firms:
  • 50-249 employees: +4.9%
  • 250-499 employees: +4.8%
• Large firms: