Time is short on these: 6,161 public-sector vacancies on GovJobs close in the seven days from 7 September 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 | 5,450 | 88% | 27 days |
| Schools | 1,541 | 25% | 24 days |
| Councils | 1,476 | 24% | 18 days |
| Universities | 229 | 4% | 21 days |
| Civil Service | 32 | 1% | 14 days |
| Police & emergency | 24 | 0% | 28 days |
| Rail & transport | 14 | 0% | 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Service | £39,959 | £11,328 – £109,725 | 25 |
| NHS | £39,331 | £10,100 – £541,338 | 4,397 |
| Universities | £37,694 | £13,219 – £129,434 | 145 |
| Police & emergency | £36,068 | £25,760 – £65,125 | 18 |
| Councils | £33,699 | £10,545 – £127,139 | 1,034 |
| Schools | £25,583 | £10,116 – £119,350 | 872 |
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 (1,071, 17%), London (1,036, 17%), Scotland (990, 16%), North West (961, 16%), West Midlands (928, 15%) and East of England (812, 13%).
Closing soonest
- Pastoral Lead — Schools: The Windsor Boys' School · Windsor · Scale 6, Point 18 £33,902 FTE - Actual Salary £31,793 (37 hours, term time only plus five weeks) · closes 8 September
- Premises Manager - Park Lane Primary School — Councils: Reading Borough Council · Reading · £33699 to £36363 per year · closes 8 September
- WHSCT Senior Social Worker Practitioner Band 7 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Lakeview Hospital Gransha Park Derry · Band 7 (£47,810 - £54,710) · closes 8 September
- HR Officer — Schools: Swale Academies Trust · Sittingbourne · £32,065 - £33,934 FTE · closes 8 September
- Safeguarding Practitioner — Councils: South Tyneside Council · Safeguarding Adults Team, Town Hall and Civic Offices · £37,280 - £45,091 pa CG (Bar at £39,152, £40,777 and £42,839) depending on experience · closes 8 September
- WHSCT_Social Work Manager Band 7 Omagh & Enniskillen — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Omagh & Enniskillen · Band 7 (£47,810 - £54,710) · closes 8 September
- Part Time Lettings Assistant — Schools: Telferscot Primary School · London · £31,086 to £31,530 · closes 8 September
- Attendance Officer — Councils: North East Futures - UTC · Newcastle Upon Tyne · Actual pro-rata salary is £27,703 - £29,601 per annum (pay award pending) · closes 8 September
- WHSCT Children's Staff Nurse Band 5 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Altnagelvin Hospital · Band 5 (£31,049 - £37,796) · closes 8 September
- SEND Teaching Assistant — Schools: Bushbury Lane Academy · Wolverhampton · £24,796.00 - £25,185.00 Annually (FTE)
NJC Wolverhampton. SCP 3-4, Fixed term contract · closes 8 September
- Family Support Assistant — Councils: West Sussex County Council · Chichester · £28153 to £29542 per year · closes 8 September
- WHSCT_Children's Disability Specialist Support Worker (including Health Care Tasks) Band 4 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Western Health & Social Care Trust · Band 4 (£27,485 - £30,162) · closes 8 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._