THE number of jobless people in Brighton and Hove aged 18 to 24 has dropped by 65 per cent since 2010.

New figures show there are now 595 young people seeking work in the city as opposed to 1,680 six years ago.

Job centre bosses say this is because more resources and a higher level of focus are being placed on finding work for the younger generation.

Steve Benwell, relationship manager for Jobcentreplus in Brighton and Hove, said they are working with a wide range of partners on various options to try to boost skills levels.

These include apprenticeships, traineeships and sector-based work academies.

He said: "Generally the labour market is buoyant and this obviously helps with securing employment for younger people but there is now much greater emphasis on those aged 18 to 24.

"The figure has been steadily falling over the last six years with a further four per cent drop since last September.

"I feel that overall we are better prepared and a number of very effective schemes are in place. There is funding available to get young people back into work and we are working closely with City College, Sussex Downs College and Northbrook College in Worthing.

"They put on courses - some as short as three weeks - which can boost skill levels. We cannot force a young person to take part but we do our very best to encourage them."

Mr Benwell said the major issue holding back employers from taking on young staff is a lack of work experience.

He said: "We intervene after about six weeks if the young person has not found a suitable route, whether it be employment or training.

"We stage group sessions, offer work experience placements and generally do what we can to enhance skill levels.

"Traineeships provide young people with the support and skills to look for work while also giving them an opportunity to gain valuable experience through a work placement with a local employer.

"More than 80 per cent of those young people who have started a traineeship in Brighton and Hove have subsequently gone into paid employment.

"Sector-based work academies, on the other hand, aim to give unemployed people of any age with an insight into the skills and behaviours required to enter some of these key sectors of growth in the city, providing them with an effective route into work."

The labour market continues to be buoyant, generally with more people employed in the south-east than in any other region.

In the south-east, a record 78 per cent of those aged 16 to 64 are now in work, with the south-east unemployment rate now standing at 3.7 per cent, well below the national average of 4.9 per cent.

Nationally, there are 560,000 more people in work than at this time a year ago, and in the south-east there are 90,000 more.