July 14, 2020 10:20 a.m.

Oregon has recovered nearly one-third of COVID-19 job losses from March and April.

A release from the Oregon Employment Department said the state’s total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 56,600 jobs in June, following a gain of 26,100 jobs in May.

The release said over-the-month job gains in June were largest in leisure and hospitality where 31,400 jobs returned. Retail trade gained 6,800 jobs, health care and social assistance added 6,200, while the “other services” category gained 5,700 jobs. None of the major industries cut a substantial number of jobs in June.

The release said several major industries have regained around half the jobs they lost in March and April. Leisure and hospitality added a total of 47,600 jobs in May and June, which was 39 percent of the 121,500 jobs the sector cut earlier this year. Healthcare and social assistance recovered  15,700 jobs or 59 percent of the 26,800 jobs it lost the prior two months. Retail trade bounced back by 11,500 jobs or 49 percent of the 23,300 jobs it shed in March and April.

OED data showed that many of the larger industries haven’t seen a substantial rebound in the past two months. Professional and business services, which cut 20,200 jobs in March and April, has only regained 1,900 of those positions. Faring even worse were the several industries that have shown no net jobs recovery over the past two months. Manufacturing employed 181,000 in June, which was 2,400 jobs below its April total. Government cut 9,100 jobs between April and June, while “management of companies and enterprises” cut 1,000 jobs. “Information” cut 600 jobs.

Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 11.2 percent in June from 14.3 percent in May. Last month the state’s unemployment rate was very close to the U.S. unemployment rate which dropped to 11.1 percent from 13.3 percent in May.