US private-sector hiring accelerates

U.S. companies increased hiring ata rapid pace in March, suggesting that the labor market is recovering from a severewinter, a report by a payrolls processor said Wednesday.ADP said private-sector employers added 191,000 jobs last month, slightly beloweconomist expectations, while gains in February were revised up to 153,000 from anoriginally reported 139,000.In March, the construction industry added 20,000 jobs, up from an average of 16,000the previous three months.The March figures suggest the government’s job-creation report for March, to be released Friday, will be healthy. Economists forecast the Labor Department numberswill show that employers added 195,000 jobs last month, which would be the bestmonthly gain since November.The ADP figures cover only private businesses and often diverge from thegovernment’s more comprehensive report.