ADP says job losses slowed in February

Needed some of this today.

ROSELAND, N.J., March 3 (UPI) -- Payroll firm Automatic Data Processing said Wednesday U.S. private sector job losses in February slowed to the lowest number in two years.

ADP said 20,000 non-farm jobs were lost in January to February, continuing a trend of lower job losses. However, ADP also revised its December to January estimate from 22,000 to 60,000.

Manufacturing, which has not added jobs since January 2008 -- one month after the recession began -- added 3,000 jobs January to February, the report said.

Service jobs rose by 17,000 in the month, for the second consecutive month of increases, ADP said. Goods-producing jobs more than offset that gain, however, with a loss of 37,000 jobs.