Time is short on these: 6,997 public-sector vacancies on GovJobs close in the seven days from 14 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 | 5,624 | 80% | 28 days |
| Schools | 2,021 | 29% | 20 days |
| Councils | 1,645 | 24% | 19 days |
| Universities | 212 | 3% | 17 days |
| Civil Service | 23 | 0% | 14 days |
| Rail & transport | 17 | 0% | 15 days |
| Police & emergency | 13 | 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 | £47,856 | £25,651 – £111,916 | 20 |
| NHS | £38,682 | £10,000 – £541,338 | 4,477 |
| Universities | £34,925 | £14,811 – £88,733 | 127 |
| Councils | £33,129 | £10,046 – £188,973 | 1,153 |
| Police & emergency | £31,769 | £24,937 – £90,808 | 10 |
| Schools | £25,614 | £10,102 – £117,600 | 1,209 |
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 (1,184, 17%), West Midlands (1,107, 16%), North West (1,033, 15%), Scotland (1,025, 15%), London (1,013, 14%) and East of England (894, 13%).
Closing soonest
- Art Technician — Schools: Uplands Academy · Wadhurst · £25,185.00 - £25,583.00 Annually (FTE)
Actual salary: £11,761 · closes 15 September
- Grounds Maintenance Operative — Councils: Test Valley Borough Council · Romsey · £27424.56 to £29056.08 per year · closes 15 September
- WHSCT Senior Social Work Practitioner Band 7 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Western Trust Area · Band 7 (£47,810 - £54,710) · closes 15 September
- Learning Support Assistant — Schools: Walliscote Primary School · Weston-Super-Mare · £20,300.11 - £22,331.12 · closes 15 September
- Technical Support Officer, Built & Natural Environment Team — Councils: Wealden District Council · Hailsham · £26403 to £28537.2 per year · closes 15 September
- WHSCT Residential Care Worker - Children's Disability Band 3 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Jasmine Lodge and Rosebud Cottage · Band 3 (£24,937 - £26,598) · closes 15 September
- SEND TA Role - 20 hours week - MATERNITY COVER — Schools: Beechfield School · Watford · £25,614.00 - £26,847.00 Annually (FTE)
ACTUAL PRO RATA SALARY: £11,999p.a to £12,576p.a · closes 15 September
- St Benet's RC Primary School - School Business Lead — Councils: Sunderland City Council · St Benet's RC Primary School · £28,598 - £31,022 · closes 15 September
- WHSCT_Bank Staff Nurse (Band 5) — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Western Health & Social Care Trust · Band 5 (£31,049 - £37,796) · closes 15 September
- Learning Resources Centre Assistant — Schools: Leventhorpe · Sawbridgeworth · £12,132.08 Annually (Actual)
- Full-time equivalent salary = H4 Scale 6 £26,718 per annum (including outer fringe allowance of £729pa) · closes 15 September
- Family Support Worker — Councils: West Sussex County Council · Chichester · £30515 to £33119 per year · closes 15 September
- WHSCT_Emergency Medicine Patient Tracker Band 4 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Altnagelvin Hospital · Band 4 (£27,485 - £30,162) · closes 15 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._