Time is short on these: 7,596 public-sector vacancies on GovJobs close in the seven days from 26 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 | 7,159 | 94% | 40 days |
| Schools | 2,161 | 28% | 24 days |
| Councils | 924 | 12% | 19 days |
| Universities | 211 | 3% | 15 days |
| Police & emergency | 37 | 0% | 26 days |
| Civil Service | 32 | 0% | 15 days |
| Rail & transport | 12 | 0% | 11 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 | £39,767 | £17,610 – £112,782 | 29 |
| NHS | £37,888 | £10,000 – £264,368 | 5,376 |
| Universities | £35,608 | £16,341 – £155,397 | 128 |
| Councils | £35,570 | £10,371 – £123,639 | 578 |
| Police & emergency | £32,046 | £25,583 – £53,317 | 25 |
| Schools | £26,403 | £10,052 – £130,790 | 1,224 |
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 (1,545, 20%), London (1,337, 18%), West Midlands (1,246, 16%), North West (1,179, 16%), South West (1,109, 15%) and East of England (1,070, 14%).
Closing soonest
- Social Worker (Children Cared For) — Councils: South Tyneside Council · Children Cared For - Children and Families Social Care · £40,444 to £48,738 per annum, Career Grade (Inclusive of retention payments, subject to review in March 2028) Progression bars at £42,123, £44,253 and £46,579, depending on experience · closes 27 October
- Executive Assistant to the Headteacher and Operations Manager — Schools: Glebe Farm School · Milton Keynes · £27,822.78 Annually (Actual)
Grade F, £32, 061 full time equivalent · closes 27 October
- WHSCT Lead Clinical Education Pharmacist Band 8A — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Altnagelvin Hospital · Band 8a (£55,690 - £62,682 ) · closes 27 October
- Payroll and People Systems Assistant — Councils: National Energy Action · Newcastle upon Tyne / Hybrid · £16,364 - £17,164 pa (pro-rata) · closes 27 October
- WHSCT Biomedical Scientist (Band 5 /6) — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Point Of Care Testing WHSCT · Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580) · closes 27 October
- Housing and Support Officer x 3 — Councils: Spelthorne Borough Council · Staines-upon-Thames · £17705 to £26729 per year · closes 27 October
- WHSCT_Ward Manager (Band 7) WSH — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Foyle Area · Band 7 (£47,810 - £54,710) · closes 27 October
- People Support Assistant - Northern Arch Learning Partnership — Councils: Darlington Borough Council · Darlington · NJC Band 5 (SCP 7-8), £27,274 – £27,709 per annum · closes 27 October
- WHSCT_HR advisor Band 5 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Gransha Lime Villa · Band 5 (£31,049 - £37,796) · closes 27 October
- Driver/Loader — Councils: Ribble Valley Borough Council · Clitheroe · £31525 to £33119 per year · closes 27 October
- WHSCT Advanced Practitioner Occupational Therapist Frailty Service within Acute Inpatient Services Band 7 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Altnagelvin Hospital · Band 7 (£47,810 - £54,710) · closes 27 October
- WHSCT_Operations Quality Assurance Manager Band 5 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex · Band 5 (£31,049 - £37,796) · closes 27 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._