US private businesses add 220,000 jobs, highest in 5 months

U.S. employers upped their hiring in April, with private businesses adding 220,000 new jobs, as the economy seems to be brushing off the effects of a harsh winter. The employment report complied by payroll processor Automatic Data Processing and forecasting firm Moody's Analytics also revised March's figures up from 191,000 to 209,000. April's hiring was higher than the 210,000 estimated by economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal. Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, said that the trend suggests the labor market is strengthening. "After a tough winter employers are expanding payrolls across nearly all industries and company sizes," Zandi said. "The recent pickup in job growth at mid-sized companies may signal better business confidence." According to ADP, small businesses, those employing 1 to 49 workers, hired 82,000 workers this month. Medium-sized businesses with 50 to 499 workers added 81,000 employees, whereas large firms, who employ more than 500 people, hired 57,000 workers. ADP's numbers come two days before the government releases its employment report. Economists expect the Bureau of Labor Statistics to report that non farm payrolls increased 215,000 in April. The figure is higher than the 192,000 jobs added in March and the most encouraging estimate since mid-2010 when temporary U.S. Census hiring boosted job numbers.