United States (U.S) private employers added 177,000 jobs in August, above economists’ expectations, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast the ADP National Employment Report would show a gain of 175,000 jobs, with estimates ranging from 135,000 to 225,000.

Private payroll gains in July were revised up to 194,000 from an originally reported 179,000 increase.
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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 expect U.S. private payroll employment to have grown by 178,000 jobs in August, down from an increase of 217,000 the month before. Total non-farm employment is expected to have risen by 180,000.

The unemployment rate is forecast to tick down to 4.8 percent from the 4.9 percent recorded a month earlier.