around the town, mostly on the outskirts, which include engineering,
catering, motoring and construction; however, most of the jobs within the
Borough are concentrated on health, public services, retail and education. 85%
of the firms (in 2005) employed fewer than 10 people; as a consequence the
unemployment rate was 3.3% (cf.
East Sussex 1.7%). However, qualification levels are similar to the national
average: 8.2% of the working-age population have no qualifications while 28%
hold degree-level qualifications or higher, compared with 11% and 31%
respectively across England
