U.S. private-sector employers added 175,000 jobs in January, the smallest gain since August as wintry weather limited hiring, but overall job creation remains solid, a report by payrolls processor ADP showed Wednesday. Payrolls declined last month from 227,000 jobs added in December. Small businesses, defined as having fewer than 50 employees, showed the largest growth, with 75,000 jobs added. Medium businesses, with between 50 and 499 workers, added 66,000 positions, while large companies, with more than 500 staff members, added only 34,000 jobs, the report showed. By sector, the services sector added 160,000 jobs, down from 177,000 in December. Goods-producing firms added only 16,000 positions after a gain of 50,000 the previous month. Manufacturers cut jobs, with a decline of 12,000 after adding 16,000 in December. "Cold and stormy winter weather continued to weigh on the job numbers," said Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, which compiles the ADP report. "Underlying job growth, abstracting from the weather, remains sturdy. Gains are broad-based across industries and company sizes, the biggest exception being manufacturing, which shed jobs, but that is not expected to continue."
