July 31 (UPI) -- U.S. companies added 156,000 jobs for the month of July -- a figure that tops expectations despite increased job cuts in the retail sector, ADP and Moody's Analytics reported Wednesday.
The monthly report by ADP and Moody's Analytics said the U.S. economy added 44,000 more jobs in July than it did in for June. Growth in private payroll has slowed in recent months after seeing monthly gains of 200,000 or more during the past 12 months.