Jobless total rises after Christmas

There was a sharp rise in the number of people on unemployment benefits in Kent at the turn of the year.

Another 280 people began claiming either Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit in January, taking the county’s total to 18,435.

It comes after a fall of 105 in December, indicating many will be those who had seasonal jobs during Christmas.

The biggest growth was seen in Gravesham, where another 50 people joined the dole queue to take the district’s total to 1,295.

The j oint second- l argest increases were seen in Ashford, Shepway, Thanet and Tunbridge Wells, which all saw their claimant count increase by 40 to 1,170, 1,390, 2,785 and 565 respectively.

Across the South East, unemployment fell by 12,000 in the three months to December to 157,000, giving the region an unemployment rate of 3.4%.

Work and Pensions Secretary and Ashford MP Damian Green said: “With employment at its highest rate since records began, and unemployment at its lowest in over a decade, we remain in a position of strength.

“Our ongoing welfare reforms will continue to incentivise work and make sure the system is fair to all those who need it and those who pay for it.

“There’s good news in the South East, where there is a record number of people in work at 4.54 million and a record rate of women in work at 73.5%.”

Nationally there were 1.6 million unemployed, little changed on the period from July to September but 97,000 fewer than for a year earlier.