It is being widely reported through various media sources throughout the country that our nation’s employment picture may finally be brightening. A recent government report has also showed strong gains over recent months.

Private sector employers added jobs in April for the third consecutive month, according to Automatic Data Processing (ADP). Computer-savvy individuals may have noticed this trend on social or networking Web sites, such as:

• Facebook
• Digg
• LinkedIn
• Plaxo
• Twitter
• Buzzup
• Email
• other social/networking sites

Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas said planned job cuts in April dropped to the lowest level in nearly four years. And TrimTabs Investment Research said the nation added 262,000 jobs in April, boosted by government Census workers not included in the ad report.

The Department of Labor’s monthly jobs figures, scheduled for release May 14, is also expected to show another month of gains. In April, 187,000 jobs were added, compared to an increase of 162,000 jobs in March.

However, the unemployment rate continues to hold steady at 9.7%. There is a general tome that this is going to be a slow recovery, as the economy would have to recoup the eight million jobs lost during the past two years.

ADP, which processes paychecks for one in every six U.S. employees, said private-sector employers increased payrolls by 32,000 jobs in April, marking the third consecutive quarter month of job gains.

This jump was more than economists expected. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecasted a gain of 30,000 jobs in the month of April. The March private payroll figure was revised to an increase of 19,000 jobs from the previously reported loss of 23,000.

ADP's chief executive Gary Butler said that he is "cautiously optimistic that rising economic activity, coupled with recent legislation incentives to employers for job creation, will lead to continued job growth in the private sector."