The U.S. private sector added 271,000 jobs in December, according to a report released Thursday, driven by hirings at medium-size businesses and in the service sector.

The increase in private payrolls in December was up from 157,000 jobs added in November, according to payroll processor Automatic Data Processing Inc. and forecasting firm Moody’s Analytics. The latest report revised downward the number of private-sector jobs added in November to 157,000 from 178,000.