Jobseekers without a degree earn up to £12,000 a year less than graduates, a new study has shown.

Research by jobs site Adzuna also revealed huge differences in pay for vacancies linked to different degrees, with civil engineering, computer science and maths among the best, all at around £40,000 a year.

The lowest paying degree subjects were hospitality and tourism, business studies and sports science, it was found.

The most graduate vacancies last month were in human resources, computing, engineering and teaching.

The highest paying graduate jobs were in Cambridge while the lowest were in Sunderland and Cardiff, said Adzuna.

Spokesman Andrew Hunter said: "Employers looking to recruit recent graduates need to act more decisively than a year ago, as the best talent is being hoovered up rapidly.

"Offering internships is one way to make a company stand out, without the bottom-line impact of the traditional route - offering more competitive salaries. Aside from helping develop the skills of our youth, internships provide a good pipeline of future talent for a firm."