U.S. companies added more jobs than expected in September, while activity in the vast services sector picked up, suggesting the economy remained on track for modest growth.
The ADP National Employment Report showed private employers added 162,000 jobs in September, more than economists expected, but fewer than the 189,000 hired in August.
Separate data from the Institute for Supply Management showed that new orders helped growth in the service sector to pick up to 55.1 in September, the best pace since March, from 53.7 a month earlier.
"It looks more like things are heading in the right direction. It is this new reality - we don't have robust growth, we just have very moderate growth," said William Larkin, fixed income portfolio manager at Cabot Money Management in Salem, Massachusetts.
The ADP report precedes the U.S. Labor Department's more comprehensive employment report due on Friday. That report includes both public and private sector employment and is expected to show job growth improved slightly last month.
Analysts often refer to the ADP report to fine-tune forecasts for the Labor Department's payrolls numbers, though the two reports may not always be in sync.
Over the past six months, the ADP report has exceeded the government's private payrolls numbers by an average of just over 50,000 according to Barclays. August's initial figures from ADP overshot by 98,000.
Some economists said Wednesday's data did not alter their forecasts, given the recent divergence.
The lackluster economic recovery and high unemployment rate have been a focal point of the U.S. presidential campaign leading up to the November elections.
A televised debate Wednesday night will provide President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney with the opportunity to challenge each other directly on economic issues.
The economy grew at just 1.3 percent in the second quarter and economists believe the recovery will remain sluggish, though it should avoid contraction.
"While the economy isn't plunging into recession, it still isn't creating enough jobs to drive the unemployment rate lower either," wrote Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics.
The recovery has a number of factors to contend with, including a drag from the European debt crisis, slowing growth in China and domestic fiscal policy.
And some companies are deferring investment and hiring decisions amid uncertainty over whether Congress will act to change the hefty tax hikes and government spending cuts that are set to come into effect at the beginning of next year.
SMALL FIRMS HIRE
Small businesses - firms with fewer than 50 workers - added 81,000 new works, or half the jobs in September, according to ADP. Large companies with 500 or more workers added 17,000 jobs, while companies in the middle created 64,000 jobs.
The increase in private payrolls in August was revised down to 189,000 from a previously reported 201,000. July's rise was also revised down, to 156,000 from 173,000.
Last month, the Federal Reserve launched an aggressive new plan to bolster the economy, saying it will buy $40 billion in mortgage-backed securities per month until the outlook for the job market substantially improves and as long as inflation remains contained.
ISM's forward-looking new orders index jumped to 57.7 in September from 53.7 in August, but growth in employment eased to 51.1 from 53.8. Exports also slowed to 50.5 from 52.
Services firms - which range from agriculture to real estate companies - avoided the contraction that hit their manufacturing counterparts over the summer.
The resilience in the U.S. contrasted with data from abroad, which showed a slowdown in the euro zone service sector worsened last month, and China's services sector expansion slowed to nearly a two-year low.
Trading was choppy on Wall Street following the data, with U.S. stocks advancing modestly by midday. The dollar hit a fresh two-week high against the yen, and Treasuries prices weakened.
Separate data showed demand for mortgage refinancing surged more than 19 percent last week as interest rates tumbled to new record lows in the wake of the Fed's announcement of its latest stimulus plan, referred to by market watchers as "QE3."
More people were also looking to buy a home, with purchase applications rising nearly 4.0 percent.
"While we still think that QE3 will have only a small impact on the wider economy, this demonstrates that monetary policy isn't completely ineffective," said Ashworth.
相关中文资料
美国公司9月新增岗位数量多於预期,与此同时服务业活动升温,显示美国经济仍处於温和成长的轨道上.
民间就业服务机构ADP Employer Services周三发布的报告显示,9月ADP民间就业人数增加16.2万人,高於分析师预估的增加14.3万人,但逊於8月的增长18.9万人.
美国供应管理协会(ISM)周三亦公布,9月非制造业指数升至55.1,创3月份以来的高位,超过8月的53.7,得益於新订单强劲.
"看来形势正朝着正确的方向前进.新的现实情况是:经济并未强劲增长,只是非常温和的成长,"Cabot Money Management固定收益投资组合经理William Larkin说.
稍後美国劳工部周五将公布更为全面的非农就业报告,涵盖公共和民间部门的就业情况,预计显示上月就业增长略微改善.
分析师常常根据ADP报告来调整他们对劳工部非农就业报告的预估,不过,这两份报告可能不总是保持一致.
根据巴克莱的统计,在过去六个月中,ADP报告平均超出政府民间就业数字的幅度为略高於5万个.8月ADP就业数据高出9.8万个.
一些分析师称,鉴於近来ADP和非农就业报告的不一致性,周三公布的数据不会改变他们对周五非农就业报告的预估.
浏览ADP报告与劳工部报告对比图表,请点选:(link.reuters.com/put92t)
浏览美国、欧元区和中国服务业PMI的图表,请点选:(link.reuters.com/kev92t)
浏览美国服务业就业的图表,请点选:(link.reuters.com/mev92t)
经济复苏乏力和失业率高企,一直是11月美国总统大选前的焦议题.
美国总统奥巴马与共和党总统候选人罗姆尼当地时间周三晚间进行电视辩论,将就经济议题直接向对方发起挑战.
美国经济第二季环比年率终值仅为增长1.3%,分析师认为复苏将保持迟缓,不过应会避免萎缩.
"虽然经济没有滑向衰退,但仍难以创造足够多的工作岗位来压低失业率,"Capital Economics首席美国分析师Paul Ashworth说.
美国经济复苏面临着许多不利因素,包括欧债危机久拖不决,中国经济成长放缓,以及美国国内财政政策.
一些公司推迟了投资和招聘计划,因关於国会是否会采取行动解决"财政悬崖"问题存在不确定性.
小型企业招聘
据ADP数据,员工不足50名的小型企业新增8.1万个就业岗位.拥有500名或更多员工的大型企业新增1.7万个就业岗位,介於这两者之间的企业新增了6.4万个.
8月民间就业人数被下修至增加18.9万人,初值为增加20.1万人.7月就业人数亦自增加17.3万人下修至增加15.6万人.
上个月,美联储(FED)推出新一轮积极的货币刺激计划,称将每月购买400亿美元抵押支持债券(MBS),只要通胀依然受到遏制将持续实施资产购买行动,直到就业前景明显改善.
ISM美国9月非制造业新订单分项指数自8月的53.7升至57.7,但就业分项指数从53.8下滑至51.1.出口指数亦自52滑落至50.5.
服务业企业避免了陷入萎缩境地.
上述数据公布後,华尔街交投震荡,美股小幅上扬.美元兑日圆触及两周新高,美国公债价格变动不大.
另有数据显示,上周美国住房抵押贷款申请大增,再融资需求升至逾三年最高位,受利率降至纪录新低推动.
"虽然我们仍认为QE3只会对整体经济产生很小的影响,但这(数据)说明货币政策并非一点用也没有,"Ashworth说.
