Automatic Data Processing NER Pulse: Private Hiring Strengthens to 10,250 Weekly Average

NER Pulse: High-frequency hiring snapshot

Pulse Shows Three Weeks of Strengthening Private Payroll Gains

Automatic Data Processing’s weekly NER Pulse reports that U.S. private employers add an average of 10,250 jobs per week for the four weeks ending Jan. 31, 2026, marking a third consecutive week of strengthening hiring momentum. ADP Research, which publishes the NER Pulse in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, presents the figure as a preliminary, four‑week moving average that is subject to revision as fresh payroll data are incorporated.

The NER Pulse uses ADP’s high‑frequency, seasonally adjusted payroll data with a two‑week lag to improve completeness and accuracy, a methodological choice ADP emphasizes in the release. The four‑week moving averages show an uptick from 7,750 for the week ended Jan. 24 and 5,500 for the week ended Jan. 17, illustrating a steady short‑term rise in private sector hiring over the past month. ADP frames the series as a near‑real‑time complement to its monthly National Employment Report rather than a replacement for official government statistics.

Market participants, corporate HR planners and policymakers use the NER Pulse as an early indicator of hiring momentum across industries and regions, ADP says, because the higher frequency helps detect short‑term shifts before official government reports appear. The company underscores transparency and methodological rigor in the release, noting that weekly estimates are preliminary and that the series includes 12 weeks of historical data except during weeks when the monthly ADP National Employment Report uses a different reference week.

Distribution and next release

ADP posts the press release and the NER Pulse at 8:15 a.m. ET every Tuesday in its Media Center and on ADP Research and Main Street Macro, with the next scheduled update on Feb. 24, 2026. The weekly cadence and public posting are intended to give employers and analysts timely access to evolving labor market signals.

Research mission and usage

ADP Research states its mission as making the future of work more productive through data‑driven discovery, positioning the NER Pulse as a tool for companies, workers and policymakers to monitor labor trends in near real time. The firm reiterates that the product’s value lies in high‑frequency visibility and methodological transparency rather than final, government‑level employment tallies.