Economists expect to learn the U.S. economy added at least 150,000 new jobs in May when the government releases its monthly unemployment report Friday .

The expected 150,000 mark would be an improvement over the 115,000 jobs added in April, bringing the average non-farm employment growth closer to the 176,000 a month average posted in the first five months of 2012.

But an unofficial survey taken by payroll provider ADP reported the private sector rose by a modest 133,000 jobs in May.

The report is expected to show the nation's unemployment rate holding steady at the 8.1 percent mark posted in April. That was a slight improvement from the 8.2 percent rate posted in March, due in large part, to hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans who stopped looking for work.