U.S. private sector employment contracted in December, the first time since April 2003, a private employment service report showed on Wednesday. The monthly ADP National Employment Report showed private sector employers shed 40,000 jobs after adding 158,000 jobs in November. The report is based on payroll data and measures the change in total private sector nonfarm employment each month.
See "Private Sector Shed 40, 000 Jobs in Dec: Report", Reuters, The New York Times, January 2, 2007