Time is short on these: 6,254 public-sector vacancies on GovJobs close in the seven days from 19 October 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 | 5,825 | 93% | 29 days |
| Schools | 2,651 | 42% | 20 days |
| Councils | 873 | 14% | 20 days |
| Universities | 233 | 4% | 15 days |
| Civil Service | 35 | 1% | 17 days |
| Police & emergency | 27 | 0% | 29 days |
| Rail & transport | 23 | 0% | 15 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 | £41,035 | £24,645 – £109,725 | 28 |
| NHS | £38,488 | £10,000 – £315,000 | 4,632 |
| Universities | £35,964 | £12,331 – £71,566 | 144 |
| Councils | £35,570 | £10,979 – £87,249 | 511 |
| Police & emergency | £32,046 | £15,037 – £51,928 | 17 |
| Schools | £28,981 | £10,112 – £321,600 | 1,367 |
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 North West (1,309, 21%), West Midlands (1,275, 20%), South East (1,266, 20%), London (1,106, 18%), East of England (1,034, 17%) and South West (946, 15%).
Closing soonest
- Recycling Development Officer — Councils: Test Valley Borough Council · Andover · £29334.12 to £31937.16 per year · closes 20 October
- Level 3 Nursery Practitioner — Schools: Windmill Primary School and Nursery · Wokingham · GLF Associate 3.1 £25,877 FTE Actual: £20,097 · closes 20 October
- WHSCT_Financial Assessments Manager Band 5 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Tyrone & Fermanagh Main Block · Band 5 (£31,049 - £37,796) · closes 20 October
- Teaching Assistant Level 3 + SSA - Glynwood Primary School — Councils: Gateshead Council · Glynwood Primary School · £24,121.67 - £25,767.48 + SSA £1,384.15 - £1,409.32 per annum · closes 20 October
- Teacher of Maths & Year Leader — Schools: Ark Carleton High School · Pontefract · £34,068.00 - £52,835.00 + £5,642.00 FTE per annum · closes 20 October
- WHSCT - Trauma Co-Ordinator - Band 7 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Altnagelvin Hospital · Band 7 (£47,810 - £54,710) · closes 20 October
- Benefits Officer — Councils: High Peak Borough Council · Buxton · £28608 to £30515 per year · closes 20 October
- Teacher of Maths — Schools: Manor Drive Secondary Academy · Peterborough · £34,069.00 - £52,835.00 Annually (Actual)
Part time or Full time available · closes 20 October
- Posting NC55938748 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Greenfield O. P. H. · Band 8a (£55,690 - £62,682 ) · closes 20 October
- Lead Practitioner of Maths — Schools: St Wilfrid's RC College · South Shields · £57,418.00 - £60,443.00 Annually (Actual)
Lead Practitioner Scale 5-7 · closes 20 October
- WHSCT_Specialist Radiographer (Band 6) MRI — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Altnagelvin Hospital · Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580) · closes 20 October
- Science Teacher 0.6 - 1 FTE — Schools: Woodrush High School · Wythall · £34,069.00 - £49,134.00 Annually (FTE)
Salary will be pro rata based on part time hours · closes 20 October
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._