Representative laptop analytics image for comparison of BLS and ADP employment measures. Photo by Carlos Muza on Unsplash.
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August Payroll Growth and ADP’s Private-Jobs Estimate Tell Different Parts of the Labor Story

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By jobgetr.ai Newsroom

By the Numbers

Two widely watched August employment measures produced very different headline numbers: BLS reported a 162,000 increase in total nonfarm payrolls, while ADP estimated private-sector employment increased by 38,000.

The figures are not designed to match. BLS covers private and government payroll employment through its establishment survey; ADP builds its estimate from private payroll records using a separate methodology. BLS also reported gains in local government education in August, a sector outside ADP’s private-employment measure.

The divergence is a useful methodological lesson for labor-market readers. One release should not be used to declare the other wrong. The better approach is to track direction, revisions, sector composition and multiple indicators over time.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation — August 2026; ADP National Employment Report — August 2026, released September 2.

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