UNEMPLOYMENT took a turn for the worse in January with a countywide rise of more than 850.

Treble-digit increases in Medway and Thanet plus big rises elsewhere made it a bleak month for claimants.

The combined jobless total in Kent and Medway went up 866 to 21,171. Medway’s contribution was 148.

The increase came after a fall of 312 the previous month.

The county has a habit of bucking the national trend and January was no exception.

The quarterly unemployment level fell by 23,000 to 1.69million (5.5 per cent of the workforce). The claimant count was 925,800, down 13,500 from the previous month. The number of vacancies rose 7,300 to 607,900.

The number of people unemployed for more than 12 months rose by 2,000 to 396,000 in the three months to December. But the jobless tally for 18 to 24 year olds stood at 503,000, down by 20,000.

Average earnings increased by 3.7 per cent in the three months to December, down 0.1 percentage point.

Manufacturing jobs fell by 63,000 to 3.02million in the year to December. Nine thousand working days were lost in December due to labour disputes, makin a total of 749,000 for the year.

Unemployment figures as recorded by the National Statistics Office on January 11: Kent and Medway, 21,171 (up 866); Medway, 4,387 (up 148); Rest of Kent, 16,784 (up 718); Ashford, 985 (up 18); Canterbury, 1,497 (up 72); Dartford, 1,027 (up 46); Dover, 1,707 (up 75); Gravesham, 1,579 (up 55); Maidstone, 1,311 (up 79); Sevenoaks, 713 (up 29); Shepway, 1,852 (up 76); Swale, 2,061 (up 88); Thanet, 2,613 (up 107); Tonbridge and Malling, 808 (up 50); Tunbridge Wells, 631 (up 23).