US private employers added 177,000 jobs in August, above economists' expectations, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.
Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast the ADP National Employment Report would show a gain of 175,000 jobs, with estimates ranging from 135,000 to 225,000.
Private payroll gains in July were revised up to 194,000 from an originally reported 179,000 increase.
The report is jointly developed with Moody's Analytics.
The ADP figures come ahead of the U.S. Labor Department's more comprehensive non-farm payrolls report on Friday, which includes both public and private-sector employment.
Economists polled by Reuters expect U.S. private payroll employment to have grown by 178,000 jobs in August, down from an increase of 217,000 the month before. Total non-farm employment is expected to have risen by 180,000.
The unemployment rate is forecast to tick down to %4.8 from the %4.9 recorded a month earlier.
