Amid fears of soaring unemployment, three employers have announced plans to create jobs.

Fast food outlets KFC and Domino’s Pizza are both benefiting from the recession and planning to open hundreds of new outlets needing thousands of workers.

Edward Jones, the high street financial services business, plans to take on more than 450 advisers - 38 a month - over the coming year, some of them in Kent and the south east.

As the economic downturn persuades more people to eat in at home, a buoyant KFC aims to create up to 9,000 new jobs over the next three to five years.

The chain already has 760 restaurants nationwide and plans to open a further 300, some directly-owned but others offering opportunities for would-be franchisees.

Each of the new restaurants is expected to take on between 25 and 40 people, adding to the current UK workforce of 22,000.

Domino’s Pizza said it was creating 1,500 jobs at new outlets after unveiling pre-tax profits up 25 per cent to £23m on turnover of £351m.

Edward Jones, which has offices in West Street, Sittingbourne, Brogdale Farm, Faversham, The Square, Riverhead, and Calverley Road, Tunbridge Wells, aims to take on an extra 38 advisers eveny month.

Last year, the US-based firm ranked second in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For, celebrated 10 years of trading in the UK. It took on record numbers of new recruits and plans to continue the strategy this year.

"We now employ around 80 advisers across the region and want to grow that number rapidly," said Howard Goodship, Edward Jones regional leader for the South.

"We are looking for confident people, with an entrepreneurial spirit who thrive on working by themselves, enjoy helping clients plan for their financial security and are both professional and ethical."

Edward Jones is to unveil a recruitment campaign and two salaried training programmes, one for those with previous financial services experience and the other for those joining from outside the industry.