US private-sector employers slowed their pace of hiring in March to below 200,000 jobs for the first time in 13 months, payrolls processor ADP reported Wednesday. Businesses added 189,000 jobs last month, ADP said, suggesting that severe winter weather generated a broader slowdown than previously thought. Private-sector payrolls increased 214,000 in February. The slowdown in March hiring was largely concentrated among companies with more than 1,000 employees. The group added only 12,000 jobs last month, compared to 43,000 in February. The construction, financial, and transportation sectors all reported slower job growth. Manufacturing lost 1,000 jobs in March, reflecting declining oil prices and a stronger U.S. dollar. Energy producers have stopped adding new drilling rigs as crude prices have remained near $50 a barrel, reducing demand for pipelines and machinery from factories. At the same time, a stronger dollar makes U.S.-made goods more expensive overseas and hurts exports. The ADP figures come ahead of the U.S. government's more comprehensive job-creation report on Friday, which includes both public- and private-sector employment. Economists expect 245,000 net jobs were created last month, down from 295,000 in February, and the unemployment rate held steady at 5.5 percent.