A recruitment firm believes the new graduate employment market is "distressed" and hopes free support can help young workers enter the workforce.It comes as new data shows ongoing pressure for jobseekers, with high levels of applications per job advert.Recent SEEK NZ data only showed a modest improvement in job adverts, up 0.2 percent month-on-month in July.Applications per job advert remain elevated, according to SEEK, though the trend was one of gradual easing.George Brooks, director at recruitment and human resources firm Bureau, said it was a tough market for young jobseekers - highlighting that more than 17 percent of those aged 15-24 were unemployed in the March quarter.The rate of young people not in employment, education, or training, was at 14.4 percent, according to Stats NZ data."Over the last few years, there's been a gradual decline of entry-level jobs, particularly in the service sector, and more recently in the construction sector," Brooks said."In the service sector, jobs have been outsourced to - we'll call it quite bluntly - cheaper countries."To help young jobseekers improve their chances, Bureau has launched a free support initiative called Kickstart."The old way of job hunting is broken," Brooks said, referring to how the sheer volume of applications had made traditional online job hunting methods harder.He said Kickstart would provide a free and shareable set of short modules, templates and workshops for young jobseekers.The resources cover first impressions and personal brand, where and how to look for roles, preparation and company research, CV and LinkedIn basics, interview and professional follow-up skills."It's basically a small group of workshops, basic workshops, to give kids a chance to be better prepared to stand out in a very, very crowded market," said Brooks."[And it's] to have some confidence when looking for a job, but more importantly, how to look, how to prepare, how to dress yourself up."Kickstart was available for nationwide access online and in person in Auckland.