UNEMPLOYMENT in Rochdale has shot up by almost 30 per cent in just nine months.

The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance has soared by 27.1 per cent since December, compared with a national average rise of 19 per cent.

The latest figures for September show that 4,418 adults were claiming the benefit, up from 3,475 last December.

This was the latest blow to the economy after it was revealed earlier in the month that the number of house sales in Rochdale had slumped to its lowest level in nearly a decade.

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen said that the statistics showed that the economic slowdown was hitting the town harder than many other places in the north west.

He called on the government to give more help to struggling medium and small businesses to stop them falling victim to the credit crunch.

He said: "These figures show the recession has hit places like Rochdale harder than some others. This is because of our reliance on industries like manufacturing so this is not particularly a surprise."

Beverley Hughes, minister for the north west, said that the government was likely to prioritise the hardest-hit areas when distributing money in the coming months and years.

She said: "Often the places that have not yet been completely successful in diversifying from the old, traditional businesses are hit the worst.

"We are going to be looking at what we can do for areas that have been hard hit, for example whether there are big infrastructure projects we can bring forward."

Despite the gloomy outlook, a Rochdale-based company has been praised for helping people back into work.

The training provider, TNG, which has an office in Manchester Road, has secured jobs for 89 people in the last three months.

Rebecca Matthews, a 22-year-old single parent from Rochdale, benefited from the programme and recently enrolled on a care course.

She said: "Supporting my family and focusing on my future was not something I thought I could do, but with TNG’s help, I am excited about my future and the future of my daughter."