WASHINGTON, May 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. private sector job creation for April beat economists' estimates, according to data from ADP published Wednesday.

The payroll processing company reported that firms added 109,000 jobs in April, up from 61,000 in March, beating the Dow Jones estimate of 84,000.

April's reading was the best the ADP reported since January last year.

The bulk of job creation was limited to a few key categories, indicating that while overall hiring is stable, it is not evenly distributed to all sectors of the U.S. economy.

Healthcare and education saw the most gains with 61,000 new jobs. Utilities, trade and transportation increased by 25,000. Construction increased by 10,000 new hires, and financial activities rose by 9,000.

Efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump to bring back manufacturing via tariffs showed modest increases, adding 2,000 new hires. Information service and leisure and hospitality each grew by 4,000. Professional and business services lost 8,000 jobs.

In terms of size, firms with fewer than 50 employees created 65,000 jobs and companies boasting 500 or more workers gained 42,000.

"Small and large employers are hiring, but we're seeing softness in the middle," said ADP's Chief Economist Nela Richardson, as quoted by CNBC. "Large companies have resources to deploy, and small ones are the most nimble, both important advantages in a complex labor environment."

While the numbers beat estimates, they stood in line with what Federal Reserve officials bill as a "low-hire, low-fire" job market. Firms are hesitant to lay off workers but have also retreated from hiring.

Meanwhile, the Fed continues to take a wait-and-see attitude on cutting interest rates, and many economists do not foresee a rate cut on the horizon, out of fears of inflation amid the Iran war.

The U.S. stock market is waiting with much anticipation for Friday's unemployment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists predict job growth of 55,000, forecasting that the unemployment rate will remain at 4.3 percent.

Friday's upcoming government jobless report includes government jobs, whereas ADP's numbers only factor in private sector jobs. At the same time, ADP tends to focus more on small and mid-sized firms.

All this occurs in the lead up to November's midterm elections, whereby Republicans -- the party in power -- are not expected to fare well, given the high cost of housing and food and anxiety over the economic impact of the Iran conflict.

Indeed, experts noted that jobs and the economy will be a major issue in the upcoming elections.

"People are worried about their jobs, so that is an issue for the upcoming elections. The unemployment numbers haven't gone up much, but the personal anxiety is high. Many wonder whether AI will take jobs and how the overall economy will be affected by the Iran war and general economic conditions," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

Other experts, however, noted scenarios whereby the GOP could do well in the elections.

"If we suppose that job creation keeps running around 100,000 a month through to November, that would be an assist for the Republicans. At the same time, it's the cost of living that is bothering voters the most, and few people want to risk trying to change jobs to improve their situation," Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, told Xinhua. ■