Private businesses in the US added 63K jobs in February 2026, the most since July, following a downwardly revised 11K rise in January and above forecasts of 50K. Education and health services added 58K, leading all sectors, followed by construction (19K), information (11K), financial activities (2K) and natural resources/mining (2K). On the other hand, professional/business services shed 30K jobs, manufacturing lost 5K and trade/transportation/utilities was down 1K. Small establishments created 60K jobs and large companies added 10K while medium ones shed 7K. Meanwhile, annual pay growth for job-stayers was unchanged at 4.5%. For job-changers, it slowed to 6.3%. "We've seen an increase in hiring and pay gains remain solid, especially for job-stayers. But with hiring concentrated in only a few sectors, our data shows no widespread pay benefit from changing jobs. In fact, the pay premium for switching employers hit a record low in February", Dr. Nela Richardson Chief Economist, ADP said.