Private payrolls rose about in line with expectations in September, thanks to sharp growth in small business and service sector hiring, according to a report.
ADP and Moody's Analytics said companies created 213,000 new positions, just ahead of estimates of 210,000.
Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees led the way, adding 88,000, while the service sector grew by 155,000 against a 58,000 gain on goods-producing. Trade, transportation and utilities was the leading sector with 38,000 new jobs. Manufacturing added 35,000, professional and business services grew by 29,000 and construction was up 20,000.
"It's across every industry and across every company size," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's, told CNBC. "The quality of the job growth is improving."
The numbers compare to the 202,000 added in August, a number actually revised lower by 2,000.
That could be the most ominous sign from the report, being that the government in its nonfarm payrolls report said the economy added just 142,000 jobs in August. Economists are anticipating a sharp upward revision from a month that in recent years has seen substantial increases after revisions hit.
The Labor Department releases the September jobs report on Friday. Economists expect it will show 215,000 new nonfarm payroll jobs.
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The ADP numbers represent the sixth consecutive month with gains of more than 200,000.
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CORRECTION: This version corrected the comparison month to August.