How weak is the economy? A major clue will come on Friday, when the Labor Department issues a report on employment in November.

In the meantime, two private surveys released contradictory results about the state of the job market.

The payroll company ADP says that U.S. employers added 189,000 jobs last month, citing "fairly broad-based strength."

"Even in manufacturing, construction, and financial services, sectors where employment has been under downward pressure, there are signs of accelerating employment," ADP said in its report. Employment in the economy's service sector grew by 197,000 jobs, the report added.

The consensus among Wall Street economists is that the Labor Department report will show a gain of 50,000 to 100,000 new jobs, significantly less than the increase of 166,000 in October.

That information comes before a Federal Reserve policy meeting on December 11. The Fed is widely expected to cut interest rates, and a weak employment report would bolster the argument for a cut in rates of a half-point, rather than a quarter-point.

A separate survey from the outplacement firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas points to the pressures of the housing slump on the job market.

The number of layoffs announced by American companies rose nearly 16 percent in November from October, to 73,140, the firm said.

"We probably have not seen the last of financial job cuts tied to the housing slump and the subsequent collapse in credit markets," said John Challenger, the firm's chief executive officer.

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