The unemployment rate in each of the three counties of Central Oregon remained relatively unchanged in April, according to the monthly report released on Tuesday by the Oregon Employment Department.

In Deschutes County, the April seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.1%, up a tad from 4% in March, but above the record low rate set just before pandemic-related closures skyrocketed unemployment in March 2020, according to the employment report.

Statewide about half the people seeking a job are new to the job market, said Nicole Ramos, Oregon Employment Department regional economist.

“There are a lot of new entrants statewide into the job market, which can explain some, but not all of the rise in unemployment rates,” Ramos said. “Fewer people are losing their jobs at the state level.”

Roughly 640 more jobs were added in the county in April compared to March, and most of the gains were in the accommodation and food services industry, followed by the private education and health services sectors, according to the report. Currently, about 93,700 people are employed in Deschutes County in nonfarm related jobs.

In Jefferson County, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased slightly in April to 4.7%, from 4.8% in March. At its lowest point, the unemployment rate in Jefferson County was 4.4% from October 2019 to December 2019, according to the report.

Employment gains were in the leisure and hospitality and government sectors of the economy, according to the report.

And in Crook County, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased in April to 6.3% from 6.4% in March, according to the data. The rate, however was significantly higher in April, compared to the same period the year before when the rate was 5.2%, according to the report.

The county’s record low unemployment rate was 4.5% just before pandemic related closures in March 2020.

About 100 jobs were gained in April in Crook County, according to the report, mainly in the leisure and hospitality sector, according to the report.