ROSELAND, NJ -- (Marketwire) -- 09/04/08 -- According to today's ADP National Employment Report®, private sector employment decreased by 33,000 in August. The ADP National Employment Report, created by ADP® Employer Services, a division of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP), in partnership with Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC, is based on actual payroll data and measures the change in total nonfarm private employment each month.

Nonfarm Private Employment Highlights - August Report:

--  Total employment:             -33,000
--  Small businesses*             +20,000
--  Medium businesses**           -25,000
--  Large businesses***           -28,000
--  Goods-producing sector:       -78,000
--  Service-providing sector:     +45,000
--  Addendum:
--  Manufacturing industry:       -56,000
    

* Small businesses represent payrolls with 1-49 employees
** Medium businesses represent payrolls with 50-499 employees
*** Large businesses represent payrolls with more than 499 employees

According to Joel Prakken, Chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, LLC, "Nonfarm private employment decreased 33,000 from July to August 2008 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the ADP National Employment Report. The estimated change in employment from June to July was revised down from an increase of 9,000 to an increase of 1,000."

"The decline in August continues the recent trend in employment that is consistent with an economy that is growing slowly but has not fallen into recession."

Prakken added, "This month's employment loss was driven by the goods-producing sector which declined 78,000 during August, its twenty-first consecutive monthly decline. The manufacturing sector marked its twenty-fourth consecutive monthly decline, losing 56,000 jobs. These losses were somewhat offset by employment gains in the service-providing sector of the economy which advanced by 45,000."

"Large businesses, defined as those with 500 or more workers, saw employment decline 28,000, while medium-size companies with between 50 and 499 workers declined by 25,000. Employment among small-size businesses, defined as those with fewer than 50 workers, advanced 20,000 during the month, after posting a stronger gain of 46,000 in July," said Prakken.

Prakken went on to say, "Two sectors of the economy hit hardest by recent problems in mortgage markets have been residential construction and financial activities related to home sales and mortgage lending. Today's report suggests little lessening of the recent strain on employment in these industries. In August, construction employment dropped 25,000.