Private employers stateside added 200,000 jobs in March, trumping economists' expectations, according to a report by a payrolls processor Wednesday.
Economists had forecast the ADP National Employment Report would show a gain of 194,000 jobs, with estimates ranging from 150,000 to 220,000.
Private payroll gains in the month earlier were revised down to 205,000 from an originally reported 214,000-worker increase.
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 are looking for U.S. private payroll employment to have grown by 197,000 jobs in March, down from 230,000 the month before. Total non-farm employment is expected to be 205,000.
The unemployment rate is forecast to stay steady south of the border at 4.9%
