100 applicants chasing every job

Nearly 100 jobseekers are chasing each vacancy advertised in Norfolk, a shock survey has revealed.

The research, which looked at the response to 27 recent vacancies, lifts the lid on a dire shortage of jobs in the county as all but a handful of bosses reported an overwhelming surge of applicants for posts.

Evidence showed that highly overqualified specialists were chasing manual work because of a desperate shortage of more suitable jobs.

In one instance, reflecting the bleak picture of an ever-deepening recession, a solicitor had applied for a seasonal mowing job.

One post alone, for maintenance assistant at Saffron Housing Trust in Long Stratton, drew nearly 400 applicants while a post for a painter with the same organisation attracted more than 250 jobseekers in just four working days.

Rebecca Heaser, HR administration assistant at the trust, said it would normally get only about 50 applicants for craft worker positions.

With the exception of four employers, everyone surveyed by the Mercury's sister paper the EDP said they had received either significantly more applications than a year or more ago or had attracted a more diverse cross section, including those who held no experience for the post as well as people who were overqualified.