by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Unemployment in Kent and Medway has fallen by nearly 500.

According to figures published today by the Office for National Statistics, the number of people out of work and claiming jobseeker's allowance dropped by 498 to 30,996 in the four weeks to September 10.

In Medway, the total fell by 155 to 6,173 (3.7 per cent) and by 343 to 24,823 (2.8 per cent) across the rest of Kent.

It was a mixed picture in the county's 12 districts, with seven posting a rise in unemployment, and five a fall.

The biggest dip was in Gravesham (down 94) and the steepest rise was in Sevenoaks (up 29).

Kent Thameside fared well, with Dartford also recording an encouraging reduction of 73. The countywide claimant count has fallen by 4,000 since September 2009.

Nationally, unemployment fell by 20,000 to 2.45 million (7.7 per cent of the workforce) in the three months to August. The claimant count edged up by 5,300 to 1.47 million.

The number of people unemployed for more than 12 months rose by 27,000 to 821,000.

There were 742,000 unemployed 18-24 year olds in the quarter to August, up 35,000 on the previous quarter.

The number of people aged 16 and over increased by 178,000 to 29.16 million, with most of the rise due to part-time work (143,00).

There were nearly eight million people in part-time work, the highest since records began in 1992.

Public sector jobs fell by 22,000 to 6.05 million, while the number of people in the private sector rose by 308,000 to 23.11 million.