(Reuters) - U.S. private employers added 253,000 jobs in May, above economists' expectations, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Thursday.
Economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast the ADP National Employment Report would show a gain of 185,000 jobs, with estimates ranging from 155,000 to 240,000.
Private payroll gains in the month earlier were revised down to 174,000 from an originally reported 177,000 increase.
The report is jointly developed with Moody's Analytics.
The ADP figures come ahead of the U.S. Labor Department's more comprehensive non-farm payrolls report on Friday, which includes both public and private-sector employment.
Economists polled by Reuters are looking for U.S. private payroll employment to have grown by 173,000 jobs in May, down from 194,000 the month before. Total non-farm employment is expected to have changed by 185,000.
The unemployment rate is forecast to stay steady at the 4.4 percent recorded a month earlier.
