Having beaten expectations for the past 4 months, in the face of a surge in jobless claims across Shale states, it appears January's print is finally catching down to a weaker expectations as layoffs dominate headlines as even Mark Zandi is forced to admit "Businesses in the energy and supplying industries are already scaling back payrolls in reaction to the collapse in oil prices, while industries benefiting from the lower prices have been slower to increase their hiring." At 213k, this is the lowest print in 4 months, missing expectations of 223k and substantially lower than December's upwardly revised 253k from 241k (not to mention November's 274K) - the biggest drop since August as small business job growth slides significantly. The details show small business job growth dropping... Payrolls for businesses with 49 or fewer employees increased by 78,000 jobs in January, down from 115,000 in December. Employment among companies with 50-499 employees was the only segment showing an increase in January. These businesses added 95,000 jobs, up from December’s increase of 78,000. Employment at large companies – those with 500 or more employees – decreased from 61,000 the previous month to 40,000 jobs added in January. Companies with 500-999 employees added 14,000 jobs, down from December’s 23,000. Companies with over 1,000 employees added 26,000 jobs, down from December’s 39,000. Goods-producing employment rose by 31,000 jobs in January, down from 47,000 jobs gained in December. The construction industry added 18,000 jobs, down from last month’s gain of 26,000. Meanwhile, manufacturing added 14,000 jobs in January, below December’s 23,000. Service-providing employment rose by 183,000 jobs in January, down from 207,000 in December. The ADP National Employment Report indicates that professional/business services contributed 42,000 jobs in January, a large drop-off from December’s 72,000. Expansion in trade/transportation/utilities grew by 54,000, a sharp increase from December’s 40,000. The 11,000 new jobs added in financial activities is down from last month’s 14,000, but still well above the average of the past twelve months. The ADP charts: Change in Nonfarm Private Employment Change in Total Nonfarm Private Employment Change in Total Nonfarm Private Employment by Company Size Change in Total Nonfarm Private Employment by Selected Industry And ADP's favorite infographic: