Time is short on these: 1,728 public-sector vacancies on GovJobs close in the seven days from 31 August 2026. This is what is running out, which parts of the sector are tightest, and how much notice they gave.
What is closing, by sector
| Sector | Closing | Share | Typical notice given |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHS | 5,373 | 311% | 30 days |
| Schools | 2,113 | 122% | 46 days |
| Councils | 1,529 | 88% | 20 days |
| Universities | 54 | 3% | 18 days |
| Civil Service | 32 | 2% | 19 days |
| Rail & transport | 23 | 1% | 19 days |
| Police & emergency | 14 | 1% | 19 days |
"Typical notice" is the median number of days between an advert being published and its deadline. A short figure means those employers move fast, so a weekly check is not enough to catch them.
What they advertise
| Sector | Median starting salary | Range | Adverts with a salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHS | £39,959 | £10,000 – £30,240,000 | 4,110 |
| Civil Service | £38,682 | £24,937 – £109,179 | 27 |
| Police & emergency | £37,280 | £25,760 – £46,173 | 11 |
| Councils | £32,587 | £10,000 – £121,944 | 1,164 |
| Schools | £25,185 | £10,052 – £110,000 | 1,108 |
These are advertised starting figures, not average earnings, and only cover the adverts that publish a salary — many public-sector roles quote a band or grade instead. Read them as a guide to the market, not a pay survey.
Where they are
The busiest regions were South East (1,217, 70%), North West (1,125, 65%), London (1,085, 63%), East of England (993, 57%), South West (892, 52%) and West Midlands (790, 46%).
Closing soonest
- Head of Parking and Mobility Services — Councils: London Borough of Tower Hamlets · London Borough of Tower Hamlets · £84459 to £92332 per year · closes 1 September
- Teaching Assistant — Schools: Palterton Primary School · Chesterfield · £22,094.89 - £23,923.66 per annum (FTE: £26,141.85 - £28,305.58) · closes 1 September
- Head of Highways and Transportation — Councils: London Borough of Tower Hamlets · London Borough of Tower Hamlets · £84459 to £92332 per year · closes 1 September
- Supervisory Assistant — Schools: Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School · Shotton Colliery · Grade 1, Point 3 (£3,350.81) pro-rata salary (£2,899.76) term time only · closes 1 September
- Grounds Maintenance Operative — Councils: Test Valley Borough Council · Andover · £27424.56 to £29056.08 per year · closes 1 September
- SEND Teaching Assistant — Schools: Wirral School · Wirral · £20359 to £20684 per year · closes 1 September
- Technical Standards and Programme Works Team Leader — Councils: Sheffield City Council · Sheffield · £42839 to £46142 per year · closes 1 September
- Admin Officer (Level 3) and EVC - Haydon Bridge High School — Schools: Northumberland County Council - Schools · North East · FTE £26,403 - £28,142 (pro-rata £13,850.87 - £14,763.14) · closes 1 September
- Planning Manager (Development Management) — Councils: Hyndburn Borough Council · £48226 to £51356 per year · closes 1 September
- Office Administrator — Schools: Wirral School · Wirral · £20359 to £20684 per year · closes 1 September
- Senior Planning Officer/Principal Planning Officer (Career Grade) — Councils: Hyndburn Borough Council · £39152 to £45091 per year · closes 1 September
- Teaching Assistant Level 2 — Schools: Wirral School · Birkenhead · £22552 to £22911 per year · closes 1 September
Search them all
These are a sample — browse every role closing this week with the closing-within-7-days filter, or set up a saved search to get deadline alerts by email.
_Every figure above is counted from the GovJobs index — the UK public-sector vacancies we hold at the time of writing — rather than from official statistics, and the live counts change daily. Adverts that carry no salary, region or closing date are excluded from the section that needs them, so section totals will not always match. Applications are always made on the official employer or source website._