According to payrolls processor ADP on Wednesday, U.S. private employers hired 185,000 workers in July, which was the smallest increase since April and reduced expectations of a strong jobs reading in the government's payrolls report due Friday. Economists had expected a private sector jobs growth of 215,000.
The ADP figures come ahead of the U.S. Labor Department's more comprehensive employment report on Friday, which is expected to show that the economy added 223,000 jobs in July, matching June's figure.