Survey: US companies add a modest 158,000 jobs in June

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. businesses added a modest 158,000 jobs in June, a survey found, a sign that hiring has decelerated but remains healthy enough to lower the unemployment rate over time.

Payroll processor ADP said Thursday that the strongest job gains were in services, such as education, health care, hotels and restaurants. Manufacturers added 6,000 jobs, but construction firms and mining companies, which include oil and gas drillers, cut 6,000.

Hiring has slowed over the spring, with job gains averaging just 121,000 from March through May, according to government data. Most economists chalk it up to a dwindling supply of the workers as the unemployment rate falls.

Analysts predict the government's jobs report, to be released Friday, will show 179,000 jobs were added, according to data provider FactSet.