U.S. Companies Add Most Jobs in Seven Months, ADP Data Show

U.S. companies in December added the most jobs in seven months, indicating that more Americans are returning to the labor force and helping employers to fill a near-record number of open positions.

Businesses’ payrolls grew by 807,000 last month, after a downwardly revised 505,000 gain in November, according to ADP Research Institute data released Wednesday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 410,000 rise.

“Job gains were broad-based, as goods producers added the strongest reading of the year, while service providers dominated growth,” ADP Chief Economist Nela Richardson said in a statement.

The ...