THOUSANDS of jobseekers jammed hotlines yesterday in response to a recruitment drive for civil service jobs being created at Government agencies in the region.

Andy Collins, spokesman for the Department For Work And Pensions, said there had been an overwhelming response to the announcement of nearly 2,000 administrative jobs.

He said: "We have had a couple of complaints from people not able to get through. But we are advising them to keep trying. People can also contact their local JobCentres."

Nearly half of jobs will be in North Tyneside at the Tyneview Park pension Centre, with others spread across Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Northumberland, Durham, Wearside and Teesside. These include 200 jobs at the new pensions service centre in Seaham, County Durham.

Mr Collins said: "This recruitment exercise reflects the department's commitment to modernise and improve the way it delivers services to all of its customers across all parts of its business."

Salaries will be in the range of £9,000 to £12,420 for an administrative assistant and £11,600 to £15,310 for an administrative officer.

A series of short courses are to be held around the region to help unemployed people find out more about the jobs and to offer support through the application process.

A course will be held in Gateshead in the near future for unemployed people from Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Northumberland.

People from these areas can book a place on the training course by calling 0191-478 2000. People living elsewhere should contact their nearest JobCentre for more information.

Application packs can be obtained from the recruitment hotline on 0191- 220 8986.