United States private sector employment grows sharply in May: What 122K increase means for the US Dollar
Private sector employment in the United States grew by 122K in May, the Automatic Data Processing (ADP) reported on Wednesday. This print followed the 105K increase recorded in April and came in better than the market expectation for an increase of 117K.
Commenting on the report's findings, "Hiring was more broad-based in May than we've seen in the last few years. The labor market continues to show sustained momentum going into the summer hiring season," said Dr. Nela Richardson, Chief Economist, ADP.
What does the ADP employment data mean for the US Dollar?
The stronger-than-expected US private sector employment data helps the US Dollar (USD) preserve its strength against its major rivals in the early American session. At the time of press, the USD Index was up 0.16% on the day at 99.38.
US Dollar Price This week
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies this week. US Dollar was the strongest against the New Zealand Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.39% | 0.11% | 0.30% | 0.40% | 0.14% | 1.29% | 1.08% | |
| EUR | -0.39% | -0.29% | -0.09% | 0.01% | -0.25% | 0.92% | 0.72% | |
| GBP | -0.11% | 0.29% | 0.21% | 0.30% | 0.03% | 1.21% | 0.96% | |
| JPY | -0.30% | 0.09% | -0.21% | 0.12% | -0.13% | 1.00% | 0.76% | |
| CAD | -0.40% | -0.01% | -0.30% | -0.12% | -0.28% | 0.88% | 0.66% | |
| AUD | -0.14% | 0.25% | -0.03% | 0.13% | 0.28% | 1.18% | 0.95% | |
| NZD | -1.29% | -0.92% | -1.21% | -1.00% | -0.88% | -1.18% | -0.25% | |
| CHF | -1.08% | -0.72% | -0.96% | -0.76% | -0.66% | -0.95% | 0.25% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
Upbeat labor market conditions suggest that the Federal Reserve (Fed) could remain focused on controlling inflation, with markets now pricing about 60% probability of the US central bank raising the interest rate at least once by end-2026.
Combined with the strong safe-haven demand due to the uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran conflict, hawkish Fed expectations continue support the US Dollar (USD) ahead of this Friday's critical official employment report, which is forecast to show an increase of 85K in Nonfarm Payrolls in May.
Employment FAQs
Labor market conditions are a key element to assess the health of an economy and thus a key driver for currency valuation. High employment, or low unemployment, has positive implications for consumer spending and thus economic growth, boosting the value of the local currency. Moreover, a very tight labor market – a situation in which there is a shortage of workers to fill open positions – can also have implications on inflation levels and thus monetary policy as low labor supply and high demand leads to higher wages.
The pace at which salaries are growing in an economy is key for policymakers. High wage growth means that households have more money to spend, usually leading to price increases in consumer goods. In contrast to more volatile sources of inflation such as energy prices, wage growth is seen as a key component of underlying and persisting inflation as salary increases are unlikely to be undone. Central banks around the world pay close attention to wage growth data when deciding on monetary policy.
The weight that each central bank assigns to labor market conditions depends on its objectives. Some central banks explicitly have mandates related to the labor market beyond controlling inflation levels. The US Federal Reserve (Fed), for example, has the dual mandate of promoting maximum employment and stable prices. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank’s (ECB) sole mandate is to keep inflation under control. Still, and despite whatever mandates they have, labor market conditions are an important factor for policymakers given its significance as a gauge of the health of the economy and their direct relationship to inflation.