April 5, 2021 3:20 a.m.

Douglas County’s payroll employers added a seasonally adjusted 160 jobs in February after a loss of 30 in January and a loss of 190 in December.

Data from the Oregon Employment Department said Douglas County has gained back 63 percent of the jobs lost in March and April of 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis.

Regional Economist Brian Rooney said in the not seasonally adjusted private-sector industries in February, there was a large gain in leisure and hospitality with 80 new jobs. Smaller gains occurred in mining and logging, construction, and manufacturing, with each area adding 20 jobs. Professional and business services lost 50 jobs, retail trade shed 40, and health services saw a drop of 20 jobs.

Rooney said local government gained 60 jobs which was countered by a loss of 20 positions in the federal government and a drop of 10 jobs in state government.

When comparing February of this year with February of 2020, Rooney said total nonfarm payroll is down 1,480 jobs or 3.8 percent. All major private industry sectors are down over the year.

Douglas County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 6.1 percent in February, compared with a revised 6.2 percent in January. The rate is up from 4.3 percent in February of 2020. The Douglas County rate has generally been tracking closely with the statewide and national rates. The Oregon seasonally February rate was 6.1 percent while the U.S. rate was 6.2 percent in February.