The United States private sector lost 32,000 jobs in November, marking continued weakness in hiring as employers navigate cautious consumer spending and economic uncertainty, according to the ADP National Employment Report released Tuesday.
The decline was particularly pronounced among small businesses, which cut 120,000 positions during the month. Medium-sized establishments added 51,000 jobs, while large employers with 500 or more employees added 39,000 positions.
“Hiring has been choppy of late as employers weather cautious consumers and an uncertain macroeconomic environment,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. “And while November’s slowdown was broad-based, it was led by a pullback among small businesses.”
Sector-specific losses
Manufacturing led job losses among goods-producing sectors, shedding 18,000 positions. Construction lost 9,000 jobs, while natural resources and mining added 8,000 positions.
Service-providing sectors cut 13,000 jobs overall. Professional and business services eliminated 26,000 positions, while the information sector lost 20,000 jobs. Financial activities shed 9,000 positions.
Education and health services provided the month’s strongest growth, adding 33,000 jobs. Leisure and hospitality added 13,000 positions.
Regional variations
The Northeast saw the steepest regional decline, losing 100,000 jobs. The South cut 43,000 positions.
The West added 67,000 jobs, while the Midwest gained 45,000 positions.
Wage growth continues to slow
Annual pay for workers who stayed in their jobs rose 4.4 percent year-over-year, down from 4.5 percent in October. Job-changers saw pay gains of 6.3 percent, compared with 6.7 percent the previous month.
Pay growth for job-stayers varied by firm size. Workers at large companies saw wages rise 4.9 percent, while those at the smallest firms experienced 2.5 percent growth.
The report, produced by ADP Research in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, is based on anonymized payroll data from more than 26 million private-sector employees.
Job creation has remained flat during the second half of 2025, with pay growth trending downward, according to the report.
