Payroll

The unemployment rate declined in January to 6.3 percent as employers added some jobs in the midst of the pandemic.

The private sector added 174,000 jobs in January, according to payroll giant ADP, despite the economic fallout and business closures from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hiring and wages at small businesses ticked upward slightly last month despite the ongoing economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Small businesses in Nebraska, Oklahoma and other rural states have been the most successful at getting federal pandemic relief in the $284 billion round of aid that opened this month, buoyed by a new rule that authorizes loans to many farms that didn’t qualify before.

Growth in small business jobs and wages declined last month as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to payroll giant Paychex.

Professional services like accounting and tax prep gained 12,000 jobs, however, according to the payroll giant.

The provider of payroll, benefits and HR technology for small businesses is making a push to sign up more accounting firms as partners.

The slowest month of job growth since the spring occurred amid the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are signs of a slowdown in the economy as businesses continue to struggle with rising COVID-19 infections across the country.

Unemployment declined 1 percentage point to 6.9 percent as the economy continues a slow recovery despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.