U.S. Economy: Private Payroll Growth Trails Forecasts

Private employers added fewer workers to payrolls in June than forecast, reinforcing concerns the recovery will weaken as Americans curtail spending.

Employment at companies rose 83,000, less than the 110,000 gain forecast by economists in a Bloomberg News survey. Including government, payrolls fell for the first time this year because of a drop in federal census workers. The jobless rate dropped to 9.5 percent from 9.7 percent as the labor force shrank, the Labor Department reported today in Washington.