With a high unemployment rate hanging over the region, shop keepers in Sydney say they are getting more job applications than ever before.

Sam Boutilier works with his wife Mary, making and selling chocolates at the Mayflower Mall.

They have seven employees at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

But Boutilier said many more would like to work for them.

"We see on the average about three people a day who drop a resume off in the shop and we get about two phone calls a day, people looking for work and it's constant it's every single day that we are here," he said.

There's also a change in the type of people looking for work.

"We noticed a change and we used to get mostly young people, very young people looking for work in our shop and now we get all ages and all skills too. Like we get mechanics looking for jobs here, we get construction workers looking for jobs here people in the health field looking for jobs here. Yeah all kinds, " said Boutilier.

At International Clothiers in the mall, manager Barb MacDonald is also seeing an increase in the number of people applying for work.

She said many of them are laid off call centre workers.

Some receive employment insurance benefits and know her store is not hiring.

"Well they have to make the effort because they have to come in and it has to be signed to show that they did come in," said MacDonald.

She thinks changes to the employment insurance rules are a factor.

People need proof to show the government that they are actively looking for work.

Boutilier said with 17.5 per cent unemployment, people are getting desperate.

Last month 10,000 people were without work in Cape Breton. Mayor Cecil Clarke said the area is verging on a crisis.

Both MacDonald and Boutilier said the difference in people looking for work this year is very noticeable.