UP TO ten jobseekers are chasing each job vacancy in part of Hampshire, a new study has reevaled.

And in Southampton up to four are applying for each job that comes up, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found.

The IPPR published its table showing the level of jobs misery across the country ahead of new unemployment data published tomorrow which is expected to reveal record levels of youth unemployment.

While the North East of England and Scotland proved to be the hardest places to find work, experts said the picture was “far more complex”

than a straightforward north versus south divide.

However, the figures showed how some areas of the country have been far more shielded than others from the economic slump.

There are two job seekers per vacancy in Eastleigh and Winchester, compared to 20 in the worst-affected area, West Dunbartonshire in Scotland.

Gosport was the worst-hit area in Hampshire, with ten people chasing every job.

Almost 20,000 people are claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance across Southampton and the Hampshire region, excluding Portsmouth.

The IPPR said more needed to be done on top of a billion pound youth jobs scheme, called the Youth Contract, unveiled last month.

The Government should guarantee a minimum wage job for everyone who has been out of work for more than a year, it said.

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions added: “We are determined to give everyone the skills they need and that employers want so they can take advantage of job opportunities.”