Employment, Private Sector | featured news

Less of the labor force is working in small businesses than in the early 1990s. After a brief resurgence from 2001 to 2004, the share of private sector employment in companies with between 1 and 249 employees has fallen.

Private-sector jobs in the U.S. increased 209,000 last month, according to a national employment report published by payroll processor ADP. The gain was just above economists' median expectation of 200,000 contained in a survey done by Dow Jones Newswires.

U.S. companies added to payrolls more than expected in October, slightly boosting optimism about the job market ahead of Friday's government employment report.