Companies in U.S. Add Fewest Workers in Five Months, ADP Says

Companies in September added the fewest number of workers in five months, showing the labor market is cooling after strong gains for much of this year, data from the ADP Research Institute in Roseland, New Jersey, showed Wednesday.

The figures suggest a more modest increase in the government’s official tally of September total employment when the Labor Department issues its count on Friday. Hiring managers might be having some trouble finding skilled workers to fill vacancies, helping explain the cooling in payroll gains even as the labor market remains healthy. Unless job figures are a major disappointment, a measured slowdown would probably affirm Federal Reserve officials’ projections and keep them on pace to raise the benchmark interest rate before year’s end.