The number of people out of work in the county fell by 525 to 17,355 in June, according to official figures.

The figures pre-date the European referendum in late June but suggest the economy of the county was relatively bouyant despite uncertainty about the outcome of the vote.

There was a fall in numbers in nearly every part of the county, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The largest fall in the numbers of those on jobseekers’ allowance or universal credit was in Medway, down by 135 to 3,315. The second largest decline in numbers was Gravesham, where the total fell by 80 to 1,255. That follows a drop of 70 in May.

Maidstone saw a drop of 80 to 1,125 while Shepway saw a fall of 75. In Ashford - the area represented by the new Work and Pensions minister Damian Green, the MP - there was a small drop of 30 to 1,020.

The jobless total was lowest in Tunbridge Wells, where 495 were recorded as claiming benefit. That was followed by Tonbridge and Malling, where the jobless total was 700.

In Thanet, often seen as Kent’s unemployment blackspot, there was a drop of 35 to 2,645.

Nationally, the UK unemployment rate has fallen to 4.9%, the lowest since July 2005, according to official figures.

The unemployment total fell to 1.65 million in the March-to-May period, down 54,000 from the previous quarter.

The statistics show that there were 23.19 million people working full-time across the country, 401,000 more than a year earlier.