ADP reported that companies added 152,000 jobs in May, fewer than the downwardly revised 188,000 in April and below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 175,000.
Nearly all the hiring came from the services sector, with goods producers contributing just a net 3,000 to the total.
Trade, transportation and utilities led with 55,000 new jobs, while education and health services added 46,000, and construction contributed 32,000.