WASHINGTON, June 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. private firms added 122,000 workers in May, up from 105,000 in April and beating economists' consensus estimate of 110,000, according to data released Wednesday by the payroll processing firm ADP.

May stood as the strongest month since January 2025, and the brisk rise provides an indication of a possibly stabilizing labor market, according to U.S. media.

"The news is better than I expected," Gary Hufbauer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Xinhua.

"Now that oil is trading at 95 (U.S. dollars per barrel) with the possibility of an extended ceasefire and a drop below 90 (dollars per barrel), I think the employment outlook has brightened," Hufbauer said.

"I expect the good private sector numbers to continue for the next few months," Hufbauer said.

Previous reports found that job growth was concentrated in just a few sectors, including healthcare. May's gains were more broadly distributed across multiple industries.

"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 ADP chief economist Nela Richardson. ■