According to the organisation, the National Minimum Wage, which comes into force tomorrow , will have a knock-on effect on wage differentials which will force firms to reduce their profits or increase their prices.

Either of these, it says, will eventually lead to the employment of fewer people.

Melanie Lansbury, Business Strategies managing economist and the author of the report, said: "Half of those whose jobs are at risk, in the 11 counties (including East and West Sussex) which comprise the south eastern region outside London, are women.

"Overall, hotels, catering and the wholesale trade are set to be worst hit with the loss of 6,872 jobs. Bar staff, waiters, waitresses and low-paid kitchen staff can all expect to be affected.

"Business services, such as industrial cleaning, will be badly hit too, with 861 jobs set to go in the sector."

Across the UK as a whole, the report claims, around 80,000 jobs could be cut as a result of the new law.

Ms Lansbury said: "However, the 10,104 projected job losses in the South East equates to only 0.23 per cent of the region's workforce, so proportionately, the South East is likely to get away lightly."

After catering, wholesale and business services the biggest losers in the region are likely to be education and health (844, mainly carers); community, social and personal services (660) and farming, forestery and fishing (424).

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