Private-sector jobs took a robust turn in February

It’s up. It’s down. It’s up again. Tracking the U.S. employment climate can be a little bit like following a Hollywood celebrity’s career. But for today, the news is good.

Private-sector employment jumped 217,000 in February – with medium businesses adding 104,000 jobs; small businesses, 100,000 jobs; and large businesses, 13,000 jobs.

The speed of gains is accelerating, too. From December 2010 through February 2011, the average gain was more than 200,000 – compared with an average gain of just over 60,000 during the previous six months.

"Looking at the ADP numbers over the last five or six months, the trend is clearly toward stronger private sector employment and we should see that trend going forward," said Steve Blitz, senior economist for ITG Investment Research in New York.

Private-sector jobs took a robust turn in February