NEW YORK — Private employers added 90,000 jobs in September, far outpacing the roughly 70,000 Wall Street economists had expected and marking a sharp rebound after a three-month hiring slowdown, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report.

The September gain was more than double August's revised total of 36,000 jobs, according to Fox Business. Education and health services led the way with 55,000 new positions, followed by leisure and hospitality with 22,000 and manufacturing with 17,000. Smaller businesses, those with fewer than 500 employees, accounted for the bulk of the hiring.

Pay Growth Holds Steady

Wage growth remained firm even as hiring picked up: base pay for employees who stayed in their jobs rose 3.2% year-over-year, while workers who switched jobs saw gross pay climb 4.7%, ADP said.

"IT'S A STRONG REPORT. JOB CREATION REBOUNDED AND PAY GROWTH REMAINED SOLID."

"It's a strong report," ADP chief economist Nela Richardson said. "After a three-month slowdown, job creation rebounded and pay growth remained solid." Axios noted the data adds to a broader picture of an economy that keeps expanding even as consumers grow more cautious about costs.

The ADP figures, drawn from payroll data covering tens of millions of U.S. workers, are considered a rough preview of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' more closely watched nonfarm payrolls report, due out Friday. Economists expect that report to show a similar, modest acceleration in hiring, with the unemployment rate holding near 4.1%. A stronger-than-expected reading could complicate the Federal Reserve's recent signals that it may still raise interest rates before year's end.