Area Development
The ADP National Employment Report finds that the private sector created 297,000 jobs in December, a marked increase from the preceding months. The report comes a day before the official release of the unemployment rate and jobs created in December from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The service sector added 270,000 jobs in December, while manufacturing created 23,000 positions. The goods-producing sector saw a rise of 27,000 jobs.

Medium-sized businesses with 50 to 499 employees created 144,000 jobs, the bulk of the added positions. Small-sized businesses with fewer than 50 employees created 117,000 jobs.

The financial services sector was one of few industries cutting jobs, with 8,000 positions shed in December.