Private Sector Added 172,000 Jobs in June

U.S. private employers hired 172,000 workers in June, higher than economists' expectations, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Thursday.

Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast the ADP National Employment Report would show a gain of 159,000 jobs, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to 209,000.

Private payroll gains in the month earlier were revised to 168,000 from an originally reported 173,000 increase.

The report is jointly developed with Moody's Analytics.

The ADP figures come ahead of the U.S. Labor Department's more comprehensive non-farm payrolls report on Friday, which includes both public and private-sector employment.

Economists polled by Reuters are looking for U.S. private payroll employment to have grown by 170,000 jobs in June, up from 25,000 the month before. Total non-farm employment is expected to have changed by 175,000.

The unemployment rate is forecast to tick up to 4.8 percent 4.7 percent recorded a month earlier.

(Reporting by Richard Leong; Editing by Marguerita Choy)