Washington, Jul 1 (AP) US companies added nearly 2.4 million jobs in June, according to a private survey, a large gain that still leaves total employment far below its pre-pandemic levels.

The payroll company ADP said that small businesses reported the biggest increase, adding 937,000 jobs. Construction firms and restaurants and hotels also posted large gains in hiring.

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Still, the economy remains under pressure from the pandemic, as new spikes of the coronavirus in several southern and western states have forced some to pause their reopenings and impose new closures of bars and other businesses. That could slow hiring in the coming months.

On Thursday, the government will release the official jobs figures for June, which are projected to show that employers added 3 million jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 12.3 per cent, down from 13.3 per cent in May. Both those rates are among the highest the U.S. has seen since the Great Depression.

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ADP does not include government jobs in its report and often diverges from the Labor Department's data. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)