Unemployment across the county has risen by 42.

The modest increase suggests that Kent and Medway may have some advantages that other areas may be lacking.

Nationally, the dole queue lengthened by 88,000 to 2.47m in the three months to August. The claimant count, that includes people on Jobseekers’ Allowance, jumped 20,800 to 1.63m.

In Kent and Medway, the claimant count edged up to 35,023, a rise of just 42 over the previous month.

There was a mixed picture across the county. While Medway and half of Kent’s six districts saw an increase, six other areas posted a fall.

Medway’s jobless total rose by 33 to 7,194 (4.5 per cent). In the rest of Kent, unemployment edged up by just nine to 27,829 (3.3 per cent).

Claimant counts in Canterbury, Dover, Sevenoaks, Shepway, Thanet and Tunbridge Wells all fell, while there were rises in Ashford, Dartford, Gravesham, Maidstone, Swale and Tonbridge and Malling.