The number of advertised job vacancies has fallen since the last budget, new research suggests.

Jobs site CV-Library said there had also been a widening of regional disparity in job creation since last October.

Its study indicated that businesses have cut back on hiring in anticipation of higher costs, with the biggest cutbacks in the north of the country.

Across the country as a whole, job vacancies fell by 15.1% in the four months since the budget, compared to the previous four months, the report said.

The number of jobs advertised in London has remained largely flat compared to the period before the budget, while areas such as Nottingham, Liverpool, Norwich, Warrington and Sheffield have all seen more than a 20% drop in the number of jobs advertised, according to the research.