Private-Sector Jobs Up 201K

201,000 private-sector jobs were added in August, according to a report released by the ADP on Thursday, a figure significantly higher than analysts anticipated. The number comes ahead of the U.S. Labor Department’s job numbers for the month of August due out on Friday, which has become one of the most-watched numbers this election cycle. A sampling of economists polled by the Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch found that they expect the Labor Department to say that employment rose by 120,000 jobs in August, and that unemployment will remain steady at 8.3 percent. Also on Thursday, the Department of Labor announced that jobless claims fell to their lowest level in a month.