August 28, 2020 3:35 a.m.

The State of Oregon Employment Department has released new data regarding employment in Douglas County.

Regional Economist Brian Rooney said the county’s payroll employers dropped a seasonally adjusted 180 jobs in July after adding 520 in May and 1,160 in June. Rooney said despite July’s loss, the county has gained back 31 percent of the jobs lost in March and April due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The largest not seasonally adjusted private-sector gains in the county were in construction which gained 60 jobs. There were also 50 new jobs in both retail trade and education. The biggest losses came in manufacturing where 130 jobs were lost and the “other services” category which shed 100 positions.

Rooney said that government lost 900 jobs, local education lost 870 positions and 30 tribal jobs went away. The federal government gained 20 positions

Douglas County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate deceased from 10.8 percent in June to 9.8 percent in July. The record rate for July was 16.9 percent in 2009. Oregon’s seasonally adjusted July rate was 10.4 percent while the U.S. rate was 10.2 percent last month.