ADP's monthly measure of private payrolls showed a 44,000 increase in July, well below the expectations compiled by Bloomberg for an increase of 65,000.
The July increase followed a downwardly-revised 95,000 jobs increase in June.
By sector, goods-producing jobs fell by 3,000, while service-providing jobs were up 47,000, with education and health services up 36,000, but
leisure and hospitality jobs down 11,000 and trade, transport and utilities jobs down 8,000.
"Job-changers are highly sensitive to real-time economic conditions, and their rapid pay growth implies supply constraints in parts of the labor market," said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. "Typical hiring patterns, meanwhile, are changing as employers react to shifting macro-economic conditions."