The wave of job losses sweeping the county has been underlined by a dramatic 3,100 rise in unemployment.

In one of steepest monthly increases in decades, the number of people claiming Jobseekers’ allowance in Kent and Medway rocketed to 27,941 in January, up 3,144 over the previous month.

In Medway, 551 new people joined the dole queue, with a further 2,593 people sharing a similar fate across the rest of Kent.

The countywide total of 27,941 is 11,000 higher than the same time a year ago, demonstrating the depth of the recession that has brought labour carnage to almost every sector of the economy.

Every one of Kent’s 12 districts posted treble-digit increases, a dismal indication of the individual and family misery spreading across the county.

Swale suffered the biggest increase - up 364 over the previous month. There were rises of more than 200 in Canterbury, Dover, Gravesham, Maidstone, Shepway and Thanet.

The only districts to stay under a rise of 200 were Ashford, Dartford, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, and Tunbridge Wells.

Nationally, unemployment shot up to just under two million.

The severity of recession, and the impact of numerous job losses in retail, manufacturing and finance, are being felt in the latest figures showing 1.97 million people out of work in the three months to December, up 146,000 from the previous quarter and 369,000 up on the same quarter a year earlier.

The total number of people out of work represents 6.3 per cent of the workforce. The number of unemployed men was 1.18m, up 106,000, and the number of women out of work went up 40,000 to 790,000.

Unemployment among 18 to 24 year olds shot up by 38,000 to 616,00.

The claimant count - people signing on for jobseekers’ allowance - went up by 73,800 to 1.23 million last month. (Jan).

While the number of unemployed soared, the number of vacancies fell, down 76,000 to 504,000.

Claimant count figures (on January 8); Kent and Medway combined, 27,941 (up 3,144); Medway, 5,501 (up 551); Rest of Kent, 22,440 (up 2,593); Ashford, 1,475 (up 162); Canterbury, 1,986 (up 214); Dartford, 1,383 (up 165); Dover, 2,051 (up 203); Gravesham, 2,123 (up 276); Maidstone, 1,773 (up 222); Sevenoaks, 1,071 (up 155); Shepway, 2,161 (up 246); Swale, 2,745 (up 364); Thanet, 3,412 (up 247); Tonbridge and Malling, 1,187 (up 177); Tunbridge Wells, 1,073 (up 162).

fell, down 76,000 to 504,000.