Devon jobless figure nears 10,000
Unemployment has risen in Devon to just under 10,000 over the past year.
The number of people claiming Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) went up by 1,169 to 9,829.
The figure is also up in Torbay to about 3,500, or 4.3% of the population - the highest jobless rate in the South West.
The number of claimants in Plymouth has risen by about 500 over the past year to about 6,700, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
South Hams has the lowest rate of claimants in Devon at 1.7%.
Devon County Council said in its latest briefing on JSA claimants that numbers fell slightly from 9,556 in September to 9,516 in October.
It said that the number of people claiming JSA was "likely to remain at the rates we have been seeing, for the foreseeable future, until activity and confidence improves".
UK unemployment rose by 128,000 in the three months to October to 2.64 million, the highest level since 1994.