June 24, 2021 3:30 a.m.

Douglas County’s payroll employers added a seasonally adjusted 40 jobs in May after a loss of 160 in April and a gain of 80 in March.

A release from the Oregon Employment Department said the county has gained back 59 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 May, 80 jobs were gained in leisure and hospitality, 40 were gained in financial activities while 30 were gained in manufacturing. There was a loss of 20 in professional and business services.

Rooney said government gained 100 jobs from gains of 60 in federal government, 30 in local government and 10 in state government.

The release said when comparing May 2021 with May of last year, total nonfarm employment is up 1,770 jobs, or 4.9 percent. All major private industry sectors are up over the year. General merchandise stores, a subcategory of retail trade, had a loss of 80.

Rooney said Douglas County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.5 percent in May. The rate is down from 12.4 percent in May 2020. Rooney said the county’s rate has generally been tracking closely with the statewide and national rates. The Oregon seasonally adjusted rate for May was 5.9 percent while the national rate was 5.8 percent.