US: Private sector employment increased by 217K in December vs 178K expected

"Private sector employment increased by 271,000 jobs from November to December according to the December," the ADP announced in its National Employment Report on Thursday.

Key takeaways from the press release

• Although there were increases in most sectors, the busy holiday season greatly impacted both trade and leisure and hospitality.
• Small businesses also experienced their strongest month of job growth all year.
• Businesses continue to add aggressively to their payrolls despite the stock market slump and the trade war.
• At the current pace of job growth, low unemployment will get even lower.