[CoallyPax]

Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...54618420110203

U.S. private employers added more jobs than expected in January, the 12th consecutive month that companies took on staff, adding to hopes that the weak American labor market is slowly recovering.

Other data on Wednesday showed that even though planned layoffs at U.S. firms in January rose 20 percent from December, the tally was the lowest for a January since at least 1993.

The latest jobs figures come ahead of the government's more comprehensive January labour market report on Friday, which includes both public and private sector employment.

The private sector added 187,000 jobs in January, compared with a downwardly revised 247,000 jobs in December, a report by payrolls processor ADP Employer Services showed.