The employment report prepared by Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) and Moody's Analytics showed on Wednesday the U.S. private employers added 978,000 jobs in June. 

Economists had expected an increase of 600,000.

The May number saw a downward revision to 886,000 from the originally reported 978,000.

“The labor market recovery remains robust, with June closing out a strong second quarter of jobs growth,” noted Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. “While payrolls are still nearly 7 million short of pre-COVID19 levels, job gains have totaled about 3 million since the beginning of 2021. Service providers, the hardest hit sector, continue to do the heavy lifting, with leisure and hospitality posting the strongest gain as businesses begin to reopen to full capacity across the country.”