BOSSES at a new convenience store advertised 13 jobs – and were swamped with almost 200 applications.

The former Croft pub in Langdown Lawn, Hythe, is being converted into a Tesco Express, due to open next month.

The scramble for work has once again highlighted the problem of rising unemployment across Hampshire, particularly among young people.

Earlier this year thousands of job hunters attended a recruitment fair at the new Whiteley Shopping Centre, which opened last month.

Former Hythe county councillor Brian Dash was “not surprised” to learn that Tesco Express had been flooded with applications.

He said: “Hythe is a supposedly affluent area but it’s not insulated from the national picture. Young people are feeling the pinch.”

A Tesco Express spokesman confirmed that 196 people applied for the jobs.

He added: “The store manager, Richard Weeks, and his team conducted over 30 interviews with positive results that led to all the vacancies being filled by local people.

“New jobs at our stores are always popular and we were particularly pleased to receive almost 200 applications for our new store in Hythe.

“It’s fantastic to be able to offer these opportunities to local people, particularly at this time when so many people are looking for work.”

Cllr Maureen Robinson, who represents Hythe on New Forest District Council, said the time of year could be a factor.

“Unemployment in the Forest is not amazingly high but a lot of young people have just left school and are chasing jobs,” she said.

The latest figures show that 460 people aged 18-24 are looking for work in the New Forest compared with 325 in Eastleigh and 1,240 in Southampton.

Brenda Smith, chairman of Hythe and Dibden Parish Council, welcomed the new jobs.

She said: “It’s good that people are being provided with employment opportunities. Things are tough and they’re getting tougher.”