Time is short on these: 6,833 public-sector vacancies on GovJobs close in the seven days from 2 November 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 | 5,810 | 85% | 29 days |
| Schools | 3,380 | 49% | 26 days |
| Councils | 930 | 14% | 16 days |
| Universities | 212 | 3% | 15 days |
| Police & emergency | 41 | 1% | 20 days |
| Civil Service | 33 | 0% | 14 days |
| Rail & transport | 11 | 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 | £38,880 | £14,575 – £109,725 | 29 |
| NHS | £36,943 | £10,000 – £264,368 | 4,552 |
| Universities | £35,302 | £12,240 – £113,565 | 139 |
| Police & emergency | £34,811 | £24,937 – £64,650 | 35 |
| Councils | £34,398 | £10,519 – £169,779 | 595 |
| Schools | £26,251 | £10,076 – £146,743 | 1,866 |
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 West Midlands (1,493, 22%), South East (1,413, 21%), London (1,270, 19%), East of England (1,206, 18%), North West (1,121, 16%) and South West (972, 14%).
Closing soonest
- Teaching Assistant — Schools: Lift East Wichel · SWINDON · £25583 - £27254 per annum · closes 3 November
- DBS01184/26 - Class Teacher (KS2) Maternity Cover - Balliol Primary School — Councils: North Tyneside Council · North East · £37,101 - £45,352 · closes 3 November
- Senior Mental Health Practitioner — NHS: GP Federations · Designated GP Practices- Down Federation · £47,810 - £54,710 per annum · closes 3 November
- Learning Support Assistant — Schools: Walliscote Primary School · Weston-Super-Mare · £8,120.04 - £8,932.45 · closes 3 November
- KS2 Lead Teacher (St Aloysius Catholic Infant and Junior School) — Councils: South Tyneside Council · St Aloysius Catholic Infant and Junior Schools, Hebburn · MPS/UPS (£32,916 - £51,048) with TLR 2a (£3,527) · closes 3 November
- WHSCT_Staff Nurse (Band 6) Critical Care — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · South West Acute Hospital · Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580) · closes 3 November
- Pastoral Year Lead — Schools: Chipping Campden School · Chipping Campden · £34,237 - £37,563 p.a. FTE · closes 3 November
- Unit Manager (Kitchen) - Northwood Primary School (Lingfield Education Trust) — Councils: Darlington Borough Council · Darlington · Band 6 SCP 9-12 (£20,139 - £21,132 Actual Salary) · closes 3 November
- WHSCT Family Support Worker (Band 4) — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Trustwide · Band 4 (£27,485 - £30,162) · closes 3 November
- Science Technician — Schools: Rugby Free Secondary School · Rugby · £25,673.00 - £26,428.00 Annually (FTE) · closes 3 November
- Lawyer - Contract, Procurement and Information Law — Councils: Hyndburn Borough Council · £49817 to £53051 per year · closes 3 November
- WHSCT Specialist Physiotherapist; Acute Trauma & Orthopaedic Services Band 6 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Altnagelvin Area Hospital · Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580) · closes 3 November
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._