September's 2,080 claimants is the borough's highest count since November 2021. Young claimants are up 77% in two years, the fastest rise in Kent.
2,080 people in Tonbridge and Malling were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September. That is the borough’s highest monthly count since November 2021, when it stood at 2,155.
It is 2.5% of residents aged 16 to 64. A year ago the count was 1,920, so it has risen by 160. (ONS claimant count via nomis)
In September we said this month’s figures would show whether the summer’s jump in young claimants was school and college leavers passing through. It was not. The gap on last year has held.
Almost all of the rise is under 25
Compare September with September, and the year’s rise of 160 breaks down like this:
- aged 16 to 24: up 125, from 385 to 510
- aged 50 and over: up 50, from 455 to 505
- aged 25 to 49: down 15, from 1,080 to 1,065
Over two years the picture is starker. In September 2024 the borough had 285 claimants under 25. It now has 510. They were 15.1% of all claimants then and are 24.5% now.
The youngest group has doubled. Claimants aged 18 to 21 went from 165 in September 2024 to 330 this September.
Meanwhile the 25 to 49 band, by far the largest, is 85 smaller than it was two years ago.
Why September’s own rise is not the story
The under-25 count goes up between August and September every year:
| Year | August | September |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 270 | 285 |
| 2025 | 365 | 380 |
| 2026 | 485 | 505 |
Claimants aged 18 to 24.
So the 20-person rise this month is the usual seasonal step, not a new surge. The point is the level it is stepping up from. The gap on the same month last year was 120 in August and 125 in September. The summer intake has not drained away.
Last year the under-25 count jumped by 50 between September and October. If it does the same again, the October figure will pass 550.
No Kent district comes close
Every Kent district has more claimants aged 18 to 24 than two years ago. In Tonbridge and Malling the rise is 77%. The next highest, Sevenoaks, is 47%.
| District | Aged 18 to 24, Sep 2024 | Sep 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonbridge and Malling | 285 | 505 | +77.2% |
| Sevenoaks | 215 | 315 | +46.5% |
| Medway | 1,340 | 1,830 | +36.6% |
| Dartford | 425 | 565 | +32.9% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 230 | 295 | +28.3% |
| Maidstone | 675 | 835 | +23.7% |
| Ashford | 490 | 595 | +21.4% |
| Canterbury | 660 | 800 | +21.2% |
| Thanet | 880 | 1,045 | +18.8% |
| Gravesham | 560 | 660 | +17.9% |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 440 | 505 | +14.8% |
| Swale | 710 | 755 | +6.3% |
| Dover | 515 | 525 | +1.9% |
Across the South East the rise was 27.1%, and across the UK 19.0%. The borough is running at four times the national rate.
On the headline measure it still looks comfortable. At 2.5% of 16 to 64 year olds, Tonbridge and Malling has the second lowest rate in Kent, behind Sevenoaks on 2.4% and just ahead of Tunbridge Wells on 2.6%. Thanet is highest at 5.3%. The South East average is 3.1% and the UK 3.9%.
August has been revised down
We reported August’s count on 18 September as 2,095. ONS now records August as 2,055, a downward revision of 40.
The Universal Credit part of the count allows revisions to the previous month, so the newest month in each release is the one most likely to move. (ONS Claimant Count QMI) September’s 2,080 may move too when the October figures come out. We have added a note to the August story.
What the claimant count is, and is not
- It is not the unemployment rate. It counts people claiming benefits mainly because they are out of work, not everyone who is looking for work.
- Some claimants have jobs. Universal Credit claimants who must look for work to stay eligible are counted, and low earnings can keep someone in that group.
- Full-time students are largely not in it. ONS notes they are generally not eligible while searching for work, which mostly affects 18 to 21 year olds.
- Age figures are rounded to the nearest five. Treat the percentages as close approximations.
- The figures are not seasonally adjusted. That is why every comparison here is September against September.
What it means for you
If you are under 25 and looking for work here, you are competing with about 220 more people your own age than in September 2024. For people aged 25 to 49 the market has eased slightly over the same period.
The council’s free People and Skills Project, run with Runway Training, is aimed at exactly this group. It runs until December 2026 and offers skills taster sessions in agri-tech, construction and social care. It has a stated focus on young people, on those not in education, employment or training, and on residents of Trench in north Tonbridge, Aylesford, Snodland and East Malling. Anyone interested can email adultskills@runwaytraining.co.uk. (Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council)
Help with job searching itself comes from Jobcentre Plus. Kent County Council runs careers and skills provision for young people. The borough council handles housing and council tax support.
Related
- Tonbridge and Malling claimant count hits 2,095 in August: last month’s figures, now revised.
- Under-25 claimants up 72%: the July figures.
- Council tax support and the LCWRA change: what the benefit changes mean for local bills.
- Tonbridge house prices: the borough’s housing market alongside this.
Sources
- ONS claimant count, dataset NM_162_1 via nomis, monthly figures September 2021 to September 2026 for Tonbridge and Malling (E07000115), with September 2024 and September 2026 for the eleven other Kent districts, Medway, the South East and the United Kingdom. Males and females combined, not seasonally adjusted.
- ONS Claimant Count Quality and Methodology Information, for the definition, eligibility, rounding and revisions.
- Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, “Programme launches to help young people with careers and training”, 2 September 2026.
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