ADP private-sector payrolls rise 216,000 for February

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
Private-sector payrolls increased 216,000 in February, led by the service-providing sector and small businesses, according to the ADP employment report released Wednesday
The January gain was revised to 173,000 from a prior estimate of 170,000
Markets look to ADP's report on private-sector payrolls to provide some guidance on the U.S. Labor Department's jobs estimate, which will be released Friday and includes information on both private- and public-sector payrolls
 Economists polled by MarketWatch expect the Labor Department to report Friday that nonfarm payroll employment rose 213,000 in February, compared with 243,000 in January
They also expect that the unemployment rate remained at 8.3%