U.S. companies added 104,000 jobs in July, according to data released by the ADP Research Institute, comfortably beating economists’ consensus forecast for a 76,000 gain and reversing the prior month’s unexpected loss. ADP also revised its June estimate to show private payrolls falling by 23,000, slightly less severe than the initially reported 33,000 decline but still a sharp miss against the 98,000 increase economists had projected at the time. The June reading was the weakest since March 2023, underscoring recent volatility in hiring. The ADP figures arrive ahead of the Labor Department’s official July employment report later this week and are closely watched for early signals on the direction of the broader U.S. labor market.