US businesses added 246K jobs in January

U.S. business boosted hiring in January to the highest level since June, a new jobs survey showed on Wednesday.

Companies added 246,000 jobs last month, a big jump from the 151,000 in December, with increases in hiring across construction, manufacturing and mining, according to payroll processor ADP.

Jobs gains in December were 2,000 fewer than initially reported.

{mosads}Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, which oversees the report, said, “2017 got off to a strong start in the job market.”

“Job growth is solid across most industries and company sizes. Even the energy sector is adding to payrolls again,” he said.

Goods producers added 46,000 jobs in January, the biggest gain in two years, the report showed.

The government jobs report, which is due out Friday, is expected to show that the economy added about 200,000 jobs, with the unemployment rate holding at 4.7 percent.

The economy is gradually moving toward full employment, which is expected to boost workers’ paychecks.

Last year, monthly job gains averaged 180,000 last year, well above the pace needed to take up the leftover slack in the job market.