by Katie Alston

kalston@thekmgroup.co.uk

CANTERBURY has seen the second highest rise in unemployment out of all the county’s districts.
There has been a massive 1,900 leap in unemployment across Kent which has dashed government hopes that the private sector is creating the jobs lost elsewhere.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the number of people out of work and claiming jobseekers allowance in Canterbury jumped to 2,173, up 192.
The jobless total across Kent as a whole went up 1,901 to 33,094.
All the county’s 12 districts posted a steep rise, with all except two showing a three-digit increases. Only Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells kept the increase to double figures.
Although Thanet was the worst hit, with 210 new people joining the dole queue, Canterbury was closely behind.
The gloomy news comes just after Pfizer announced the closure of its Sandwich facilities over the next 18 to 24 months with the possible loss of up to 2,400 people, as well as hundreds of indirect jobs.
With local councils across the county slashing headcount, the jobless figures are likely to get a lot worse before they get better.
Nationally, the claimant count edged up by 2,400 to 1.46 million. The rate for the three months to the end of December rose by 44,000 to 2.49 million (7.9 per cent).
Graeme Leach, chief economist at the Institute of Directors, said higher unemployment and lower numbers in work made it a “feel-bad” recovery.
The latest figures showed there was no need for a rise in interest rates.