Students graduating in 2016 “are facing one of the toughest job markets in recent times,” according to Doug Monro, the co-founder of internet job search engine Adzuna.

Research carried out by Adzuna shows that the number of advertised jobs has dropped by eight per cent compared to last April.

The amount graduates can expect to earn has also fallen to the lowest level since October 2013, the average graduate salary dropping three per cent in the last month alone, now standing at £23,309.

There is, however, some good news for those leaving university this summer to pursue careers in creative industries, where salaries are on average up 4.7 per cent compared to last year.

However, the research also suggests that Cantabs may give themselves the best chance of securing a job after graduation by resisting a change of scene.

Cambridge is apparently the best city in the UK to find a job, with eight job-seekers to every 100 vacancies compared to the national average of 54 job-seekers to every 100 vacancies.

Oxford follows close behind Cambridge in job market stakes, coming in as the third best city in the UK to find a job, with 12 jobseekers for every 100 vacancies. Only Guildford – home to the University of Surrey – separates Cambridge and Oxford at the top of the pile.

Adzuna’s research also shows a stark north-south divide in terms of employment prospects, with the five worst cities to find a job located in the north of England (Sunderland, Hull, Middlesbrough, and Bradford) and Northern Ireland (Belfast), while the five best cities are rounded out by Reading and Exeter.

Long considered the natural destination for recent graduates, London featured in neither the top ten best nor worst cities for those seeking employment, Adzuna’s report suggesting that graduates may well be better served by avoiding the capital.