Private sector employment increased by 135,000 jobs from August to September according to the September ADP National Employment Report.
"In September, small businesses experienced a dip in hiring," said Ahu Yildirmaz, vice president and cohead of the ADP Research Institute.
"This is in part due to Hurricane's Harvey and Irma which significantly impacted smaller retailers. "In addition, the continued slow down we have seen in small business hiring could be due to a lack of competitive compensation to attract skilled talent." Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, said, "Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hurt the job market in September. Looking through the storms the job market remains sturdy and strong."