Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Economic Watch: September Job Additions Total 200,000

Private sector employment increased by 200,000 jobs from August to September, according to a new report from the payroll processor ADP, but manufacturing lost jobs.

Evan Lockridge
Evan LockridgeFormer Business Contributing Editor
September 30, 2015
Economic Watch: September Job Additions Total 200,000

Monthly additions in total nonfarm private employment.

2 min to read


Monthly additions in total nonfarm private employment.

Private sector employment increased by 200,000 jobs from August to September, according to a new report from the payroll processor ADP, two days before federal job numbers are released.

ADP's National Employment Report shows despite one having one of the best overall monthly numbers so far this year, manufacturing employment dropped into negative territory. The loss of 15,000 jobs was the worst performance since December 2010.

Ad Loading...

“The U.S. job machine continues to produce jobs at a strong and consistent pace,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics. “Despite job losses in the energy and manufacturing industries, the economy is creating close to 200,000 jobs per month. At this pace full employment is fast approaching.”

"At this pace full employment is fast approaching.”

Goods-producing employment rose by 12,000 jobs in September, off from 15,000 the previous month, while service-providing employment rose by 188,000 jobs in September, up from 172,000 in August, including 39,000 in the trade, transportation and utilities category.

"Businesses with more than 1,000 employees contributed over half of the job gains in September, despite weakness in energy and manufacturing,” said Ahu Yildirmaz, vice president and head of the ADP Research Institute. “The largest companies appear to be starting to overcome the impacts of weak global demand and the high dollar, while the smallest companies may have pulled back as concerns about the resiliency of the U.S. economy grew and consumer confidence softened.”

Ad Loading...

The August total of jobs added was revised downward from 190,000 to 186,000.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg predict that when federal job numbers are released Friday morning, it will show 202,000 jobs gains during September. Regardless of what the actual number is, it will no doubt be scrutinized by the Federal Reserve in trying to determine if it will hike interest rates later this year.

More Fleet Management

Red Kodiak-branded autonomous tractor with Charger-branded trailer backed up to warehouse
Fleet Management•October 30, 2026

Kodiak Lines Up Fleets for Driverless Trucking

An agreement for 75 trucks, a new Texas freight lane, and progress on safety validation move Kodiak closer to its planned driverless highway launch.

Read More →
Illustration with Star of David and EEOC logo
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 28, 2026

ITS Logistics Settles Religious Harassment Case

The Nevada-based logistics firm agreed to pay more than $396,000 to settle a religious harassment charge involving an employee's Jewish identity.

Read More →
Truck on divided interstate highway driving toward sunrise
Fleet Management•October 27, 2026

Your Trucks Are Busy. That Doesn’t Mean They’re Winning.

High utilization doesn’t always mean strong margins. Looking beyond the current load can help fleets make better dispatch decisions and get more value from each truck’s time.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
ATA economist Bob Costello speaking beside a graph showing truckload operating costs rising as freight revenue per mile declined after 2022.
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 22, 2026

Why This Trucking Recovery Is Different

Freight demand remains sluggish, but rising costs and tougher enforcement have taken enough capacity out of the market to change the outlook for motor carriers.

Read More →
PS Coach tablet interface showing a driver’s coaching inbox, safety event video and coaching advice for a harsh-braking event.
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 21, 2026

Platform Science Adds Dispatch and Safety Tools

Four additions to PS Fleet help fleets monitor loads, manage driver coaching, share truck locations and adjust video system settings.

Read More →
Screen capture showing PrePass Intelligence data on tolls
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 21, 2026

PrePass Intelligence Mines Fleet Bypass, Toll and Safety Data

PrePass Intelligence helps fleets measure bypass savings, flag potential toll overcharges, and spot suspicious transactions by combining data from separate systems.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Computer screen showing examples of what fleets could ask Motive AI Agents to do
Fleet Management•by Staff•October 20, 2026

Motive Adds AI Agents for Fleet Operations

New tools automate follow-up on fleet data, from maintenance work orders to driver alerts, with two-way voice conversations planned for later this year.

Read More →
Graphic art with a heavy-duty tractor trailer and a work truck with the words "trivia lunch"
Fleet Management•by Lauren Fletcher•October 19, 2026

Can You Beat Our Trucking Trivia Challenge?

Test your truck knowledge with 19 trivia questions from Heavy Duty Trucking Exchange. Can you keep up with the fleet pros?

Read More →
Four horizontal and two vertical video screens show different aspects of BeyondTruck's new compatibility engine
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 19, 2026

BeyondTrucks Adds Rules Checks to Dispatch

New Compatibility Engine checks driver qualifications, equipment requirements and fleet policies before loads are dispatched.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Gloved hand fueling a truck beside a graphic listing ATRI’s top three trucking concerns for 2026: fuel prices, lawsuit abuse reform and CSA.
Fleet Management•by Deborah Lockridge•October 19, 2026

Diesel Prices Hijack Trucking’s Worry List

ATRI’s annual survey finds cautious optimism about freight, but diesel costs, litigation, and insurance continue to squeeze fleets. Drivers have different priorities on several issues.

Read More →