Job applications fell by more than 8% last month despite a slight increase in the number of vacancies on offer, a study has found
Jobs site CV-Library said the biggest reductions were in Cardiff (down 15%), Sheffield (14%), Newcastle and Leeds (both around 10%).
However, the number of jobs advertised in August in two Scottish cities, Glasgow and Aberdeen, increased compared with a year ago, said the report.
Advertised salaries fell by an average of 1.5% in August compared to July, but by bigger amounts in manufacturing (down 6.4%), marketing (5.6%), retail (4.9%) and social care (4.8%).
Lee Biggins, chief executive of CV-Library, said: "It's surprising that applications have dropped so significantly, especially given that the Government's Job Retention Scheme is coming to an end in a matter of weeks.
"It's vital that employers don't lose faith in the job market. While applications have dropped, businesses should continue with their hiring efforts throughout September, and we should see some improvement in the coming weeks."
A separate report by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) found that the number of job adverts continued to increase in late August, rising to 1.12 million in the final week of the month.
While the pace of growth has slowed, there were almost 107,000 new job adverts posted in the week beginning August 24, said the confederation.
Many local areas saw "significantly higher" growth, including Anglesey and Swansea in Wales, and Newry, Mourne & Down and Antrim & Newtownabbey in Northern Ireland, said the report.
Neil Carberry, chief executive of the REC, said: "The trend of improvement in hiring we are seeing may be slow, but it is sure. As schools reopen and more businesses open up workplaces, we expect to see more adverts as firms change to reflect the new normal, including adapting air conditioning, it seems.
"But we can't assume an upturn in hiring means we are out of the woods, given the likely scale of job losses this autumn as firms adapt to the new reality."
