GMB union

The GMB union has compiled figures showing more than 19,000 jobs have been lost in the county in recent years.

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A new survey from the GMB union shows that Kent’s manufacturing sector has been the hardest hit in the recession.

The figures show that 19,800 manufacturing jobs have been lost in the county since June 2007.

The sector now employs around 41,300 in the county.

Richard Ascough, GMB Regional Secretary, said: “The Downing Street led recession accelerated the haemorrhaging of jobs from UK manufacturing. In the UK as a whole the first four years of this recession has cost 706,300 manufacturing jobs. That is an average of 3,398 job losses a week.

The union compiled the figures from the Office of National Statistics. The next highest county was Hampshire with 18,600.

Mr Ascough added: “This fall is on top of the 1.25m fall between 1994/5 and 2006/7 an average of 2,005 job losses a week nationally.”