Payroll provider Automatic Data Processing (ADP: sentiment, chart, options) stepped into the economic spotlight this morning with its monthly report on U.S. employment. According to ADP's latest employment index, 9,000 private-sector jobs were added in July. Ahead of the report, economists surveyed by MarketWatch were predicting a decline of 55,000 jobs. The index declined by a revised 77,000 in June.

The report is widely regarded as a preview of the Labor Department's nonfarm payrolls report, although the ADP index has recently outpaced the government's figures. The latest nonfarm report will be released this Friday; figuring in 20,000 government jobs that are added in an average month, the ADP index suggests that 29,000 jobs were added in July.

On a sector-by-sector basis, services employment rose by 74,000 in July. Construction jobs dropped by 16,000, while manufacturing employment fell by 49,000.