U.S. private employers added 271,000 jobs in December, above economists' expectations, a report by a payrolls processor ADP (NASDAQ:ADP) showed on Thursday.
Economists had expected the ADP nonfarm payrolls report to show a gain of 179,000 jobs.
Private sector jobs increased by 157,000 in November.
The ADP figures come ahead of the Labor Department's more comprehensive non-farm payrolls report on Friday, which includes both public and private-sector employment.
