How ADP's jobs report compares to US government's

Payroll provider ADP said Wednesday that U.S. companies added 162,000 jobs in September, a modest level of hiring.

Still, ADP's report has often diverged sharply from the government's figures. For example, from April through August, ADP estimated nearly 50,000 more private-sector jobs added per month than the government reported.

Economists consider the government figures more reliable. The Labor Department will release its September employment report on Friday.

Here is how the last five ADP reports compare with the government's figures:

Month ADP Survey Labor Dept. (private sector)

September 2012 162,000 Due Friday

August 189,000 103,000

July 156,000 162,000

June 173,000 63,000

May 131,000 116,000

April 112,000 85,000