Time is short on these: 7,451 public-sector vacancies on GovJobs close in the seven days from 12 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 | 5,929 | 80% | 28 days |
| Schools | 4,131 | 55% | 24 days |
| Councils | 1,067 | 14% | 18 days |
| Universities | 200 | 3% | 15 days |
| Police & emergency | 28 | 0% | 14 days |
| Civil Service | 26 | 0% | 19 days |
| Rail & transport | 16 | 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 | £49,401 | £23,084 – £113,565 | 23 |
| Police & emergency | £37,563 | £16,070 – £94,356 | 25 |
| Universities | £35,964 | £21,805 – £113,565 | 118 |
| NHS | £35,626 | £10,000 – £371,116 | 4,766 |
| Councils | £35,570 | £10,030 – £103,246 | 701 |
| Schools | £28,354 | £10,024 – £146,743 | 2,180 |
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 (1,537, 21%), North West (1,494, 20%), South East (1,488, 20%), London (1,391, 19%), East of England (1,218, 16%) and South West (1,062, 14%).
Closing soonest
- Classroom Support Staff — Schools: The Hermitage Infant School · Woking · £17,802.67 Annually (Actual)
The FTE salary is £25,133 (SWAN Grade 3.3) · closes 13 October
- Deputy Headteacher for Virtual School — Councils: Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council · Bootle · £62439 to £66967 per year · closes 13 October
- WHSCT - Specialist Radiographer CT/Plain Film - Band 6 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Base SWAH and OHPCC (Rotational ) · Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580) · closes 13 October
- Premises Manager — Schools: Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council Schools · Litherland · £33672 to £37562 per year · closes 13 October
- Assistant Head Teacher - Hurworth School (Northern Arch Learning Partnership) — Councils: Darlington Borough Council · Darlington · L13-17 £69,596 to £76,772 (pay award pending) · closes 13 October
- WHSCT_Community Nurse Learning Disability (Band 6) Childrens — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Gransha Lilac Villa · Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580) · closes 13 October
- Teacher of A Level Maths (0.5) and GCSE Maths to Adults (0.5) - T270 — Schools: Riverside College Halton · Widnes · £39,117 - £49,521 (Pro rata if part time) · closes 13 October
- Child Missing in Education (CME) Officer — Councils: London Borough of Redbridge · Ilford · £43449 to £45123 per year · closes 13 October
- WHSCT - Assistant Director of Mental Health, Crisis & Inpatient Services - Band 8C — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Western Trust Area · Band 8c (£76,965 - £88,682) · closes 13 October
- SEND Administrator — Schools: Bradon Forest School · Swindon · £18,844.41 - £19,787.16 Annually (Actual) · closes 13 October
- WHSCT_Milk Bank Technician (Band 3) - BANK Waiting List — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · South West Acute Hospital · Band 3 (£24,937 - £26,598) · closes 13 October
- SEND Officer — Schools: Isebrook School · Kettering · £27,709.00 - £30,023.00 Annually (FTE) · closes 13 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._