CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada added jobs in February and the state jobless office reported the unemployment figure improved a tick, to 8.3% from 8.5% in January.

A state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation report on Thursday was an improvement from 8.5% in January.

But it was still more than twice the record low of 3.6% in January and February 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic arrived a month later, prompting casino and business closures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Hundreds of thousands of people were thrown out of work and Nevada’s unemployment figure peaked at more than 30% last April.

Nationally, the Las Vegas jobless rate in January was 9.9%, ranking second behind the Los Angeles area among large metropolitan areas, according to the U.S. Labor Department.