NEWS -- A portrait of desperate Britain: 4,000 job seekers queue for chance of employment at new shopping centre

A one-in-one-out policy was operated as queues mounted for a jobs fair at the Solent Hotel, in HampshireA desperate 4,000 job seekers flocked to a hotel in the hope of finding work at a new £84million shopping centre

• Queues formed two hours before the jobs fair opened its doors
• Job seekers had to park a mile away because so many people were there
• Positions were sought at new £84million shopping centre with 56 shops.
  
  It is a picture which reveals the desperation of Britain's growing population of unemployed - thousands of job seekers standing outside a hotel for the chance of finding employment.
  Long queues started to build two hours before the jobs fair at the Solent Hotel, in Whiteley, Hampshire, got under way, drawing in people from all walks off life clutching CVs and laptops in a bid to make the right impression.
  The turn-out was so strong a one-in, one-out policy was enforced, as an estimated 4,000 would-be workers tried to land employment the new shopping centre.The huge number of jobs will be a welcome boost to the economy, as experts at the OECD predict Britain has dodged a triple-dip recession and is finally on the road to recovery.
  The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said the UK economy grew at an annual rate of 0.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2013.
  That is the equivalent of just over 0.1 per cent on a quarterly basis and enough to avoid another recession following the 0.3 per cent slump in the final three months of 2012.
  The Whiteley Shopping Centre, Hampshire, is set to open in May and will have 56 shops, creating more than 1,000 jobs.
  Carol Bramley, from West End, was the first in the queue at 8am on Wednesday as she looked to find a job for the first time since January.
  She said: ‘Everything you read and hear these days says that there are hundreds of applicants for every job going.
  ‘So I thought that with the fair opening at 10am, I'd best get here early so that if I had to queue, it would be at the start of the day.’
  Top high street names including Clintons, Dean's Diner, Fat Face, Holland and Barrett and JD Sports were waiting to hand out advice.
  There were also representatives from Next, Starbucks, The Body Shop, The Entertainer, Topshop The gleaming new version will feature double and triple height glazing and oak panels, centred on a new town square with landscaped spaces.
  It will also provide over 1,500 car parking spaces with up to three hours' free parking, and free parking after 6pm.
  
  

  Whiteley Shopping Centre Manager Neil Carter was delighted with the turn-out at the jobs fair
  Whiteley Shopping Centre Manager Neil Carter was delighted with the turn-out.
  He said: ‘It's been brilliant, we have had a great response from the people of Whiteley and to the recruitment fair.
  ‘We have had more than 2,000 people pre-register and we think we will have seen around 4,000 people by the end of the day.’
  Ethan Edwards, 19, from Southsea, Hampshire, has been out of work for six months. He said: ‘There's a lot of opportunities here. It's a good opportunity to talk to employers face to face.’
  Katie Kelly, from Gosport, Hampshire, was being kept company in the queue by her mother, Julie.
  Miss Kelly, 22, said: ‘We had to park about a mile away and walk.’
  Her 41-year-old mother added: ‘I didn't think it would be this busy, it's like the X-Factor!’
  Unemployment in the UK unexpectedly rose for the first time in one year it was revealed prior to the Budget last week.
  The number of people out of work rose by 7,000 to 2.52million in the three months leading up to January, according to the Office for National Statistics.
  The figures showed the increase was due to a rise in unemployment among 18-24 year olds, which was at its highest in 17 months.
  The last time overall unemployment had increased before the most recent rise was in the three months to January 2012.