U.S. private payrolls surge as Omicron threat looms over economy

Primanews exclusively reported that U.S. private payrolls increased more than expected in December as a result of underlying labor market strength, but skyrocketing COVID-19 infections could slow momentum in the months ahead. The surge in private hiring in the ADP National Employment Report on Wednesday was based on data collected in mid-December just as the Omicron variant was sweeping across the country, causing some events and hundreds of flights to be canceled.