Unemployment in Kent and Medway has shot up by more than 500 but it could have been worse amid the recent economic turmoil.

The rise of 526 was around half last month’s steep rise of 1,200 - and Tunbridge Wells even posted a slight fall.

However, the two-month increase of 1,700 shows that the recession is beginning to bite as more employers across the county shed staff.

Experts are forecasting that the situation will get worse, but others claim that the county may be able to withstand the economic downturn better than elsewhere.

The number of people out of work and claiming benefit in the county on September stood at 19,193.

That represents a rise of 96 in Medway - to 3,987 (2.5 per cent of the workforce) - and an increase of 430 across the rest of Kent - to 15,206 (1.8 per cent).

The countywide jobless total has gone up by nearly 1,900 in the past 12 months.

Nationally, the number of unemployed people soared by 164,000 to 1.79 million in the three months to August.

The claimant count was 939,900, up 31,800 from the previous month.

The number of vacancies was 608,000, down 40,000 from the previous quarter. The number of people out of work for more than a year went up by 35,000 to 440,000.

Across the county, every district except Tunbridge Wells recorded an increase, The biggest rises were in Dartford (up 61), Dover (up 90) and Sevenoaks (up 87).