ADP National Employment Report: Private Sector Employment Increased by
63,000 Jobs in February; Annual Pay was Up 4.5%
ROSELAND, N.J. – March 4, 2026 – Private sector employment increased by 63,000 jobs in February
and pay was up 4.5 percent year-over-year according to the February ADP National Employment
Report® produced by ADP Research in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab (“Stanford
Lab”).
The ADP National Employment Report is an independent measure of the labor market based on the
anonymized weekly payroll data of more than 26 million private-sector employees in the United States.
ADP’s Pay Insights captures over 15 million individual pay change observations each month. Together,
the jobs report and pay insights use ADP’s fine-grained data to provide a representative and highfrequency picture of the private-sector labor market.
“We've seen an increase in hiring and pay gains remain solid, especially for job-stayers,” said Dr. Nela
Richardson, chief economist, ADP. “But with hiring concentrated in only a few sectors, our data shows no
widespread pay benefit from changing jobs. In fact, the pay premium for switching employers hit a record
low in February.”
February 2026 Report Highlights
View the ADP National Employment Report and interactive charts at www.adpemploymentreport.com.
JOBS REPORT
Private employers added 63,000 jobs in February
Hiring jumped in February, delivering the best showing for job gains since November 2025*. Construction
and education and health services led the growth.
Change in U.S. Private Employment:

63,000

Change by Industry
• Goods-producing:
o Natural resources/mining
o Construction
o Manufacturing

16,000
2,000
19,000
-5,000

•

Service-providing:
o Trade/transportation/utilities
o Information
o Financial activities
o Professional/business services
o Education/health services
o Leisure/hospitality
o Other services

47,000
-1,000
11,000
2,000
-30,000
58,000
1,000
6,000

Change by U.S. Regions
• Northeast:
o New England
o Mid-Atlantic

11,000
9,000
2,000

•

Midwest:
o East North Central
o West North Central

-4,000
-8,000
4,000

•

South:
o South Atlantic
o East South Central
o West South Central

37,000
5,000
6,000
26,000

•

West:
o Mountain
o Pacific

19,000
3,000
16,000

Change by Establishment Size
• Small establishments:
o 1-19 employees
o 20-49 employees

60,000
58,000
2,000

•

Medium establishments:
o 50-249 employees
o 250-499 employees

-7,000
-3,000
-4,000

•

Large establishments:
o 500+ employees

10,000
10,000

PAY INSIGHTS
Pay for job-stayers rose 4.5 percent in February
Pay growth for job-stayers was unchanged in February at 4.5 percent year-over-year. For job-changers,
annualized pay growth slowed to 6.3 percent.
Median Change in Annual Pay
• Job-stayers
• Job-changers

4.5%
6.3%

Median Change in Annual Pay for Job-Stayers by Industry
• Goods-producing:
o Natural resources/mining
4.5%
o Construction
4.7%
o Manufacturing
4.9%
•

Service-providing:
o Trade/transportation/utilities
o Information
o Financial activities
o Professional/business services
o Education/health services
o Leisure/hospitality
o Other services

4.4%
4.0%
5.2%
4.3%
4.3%
4.6%
4.1%

Median Change in Annual Pay for Job-Stayers by Firm Size

•

•

•

Small firms:
o 1-19 employees
o 20-49 employees

2.6%
4.1%

Medium firms:
o 50-249 employees
o 250-499 employees

4.7%
4.8%

Large firms:
o 500+ employees

4.9%

To see Pay Insights by U.S. State, Gender, and Age for Job-Stayers, visit here:
The January total number of jobs added was revised from 22,000 to 11,000.
For additional information about the ADP National Employment Report, including historical files,
employment and pay data, methodology, and a calendar of release dates, please visit
https://adpemploymentreport.com/.
*The press release has been corrected to reflect February’s private-sector job growth figure of 63,000
was the largest monthly growth figure since November 2025.
The March 2026 ADP National Employment Report will be released on April 1, 2026 at 8:15 a.m. ET.
About ADP Research
The mission of ADP Research is to make the future of work more productive through data-driven
discovery. Companies, workers, and policy makers rely on our finely tuned data and unique perspective
to make informed decisions that impact workplaces around the world.
To subscribe to monthly email alerts or obtain additional information about ADP Research, including
employment and pay data, methodology, and a calendar of release dates, please visit
https://www.adpresearch.com.
About ADP (NASDAQ: ADP)
ADP has been shaping the world of work with innovation and expertise for more than 75 years. As a
global leader in HR and payroll solutions, ADP continuously works to solve business challenges for our
clients and their workers, from simple, easy-to-use tools for small businesses to fully integrated platforms
for global enterprises – and everything in between. Always Designing for People means we’re focused on
just that – people. We use our unmatched AI-driven insights and proven expertise to design innovative
solutions that help people achieve greater success at work. More than 1.1 million clients across 140+
countries rely on ADP’s exceptional service to support their people and drive their business forward. HR,
Talent, Time Management, Benefits, Compliance, and Payroll. Learn more at ADP.com
ADP, the ADP logo, and Always Designing for People, ADP National Employment Report, and ADP
Research are registered trademarks of ADP, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective
owners.
Copyright © 2026 ADP, Inc. All rights reserved.
ADP-Media
Media Contact:
Joanna DiNizio
ADP, Inc.
(973) 369-8167
joanna.dinizio@adp.com