US private sector adds 90,000 jobs in September, beating expectations

US private sector employment increased by 90,000 in September, exceeding market expectations, payroll processing firm ADP said in a report Wednesday.

The figure surpassed expectations of 68,000 and accelerated from August's downwardly revised increase of 36,000.

Service providers added 59,000 jobs, while goods-producing industries created 31,000 positions, the report said.

Education and health services led employment gains with 55,000 new jobs, followed by leisure and hospitality with 22,000.

Manufacturing added 17,000 positions, while construction employment rose by 15,000.

Financial activities shed 16,000 jobs, professional and business services lost 11,000, and natural resources and mining employment declined by 1,000, ADP said.

The Northeast accounted for much of the increase, adding 56,000 jobs, according to the report.

By company size, businesses employing between 50 and 499 workers added 54,000 positions.

Base pay increased 3.2% from a year earlier, while gross pay rose 4.7%, ADP said.

"After a three-month slowdown, job creation rebounded and pay growth remained solid," ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said.

The report comes ahead of Friday's September employment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which cover both private and public sector employment.

Economists expect nonfarm payrolls to increase by 84,000, following August's gain of 162,000, with the unemployment rate forecast to remain at 4.1%.