Time is short on these: 8,131 public-sector vacancies on GovJobs close in the seven days from 28 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 | 6,722 | 83% | 36 days |
| Schools | 3,466 | 43% | 24 days |
| Councils | 1,753 | 22% | 18 days |
| Universities | 240 | 3% | 16 days |
| Civil Service | 30 | 0% | 14 days |
| Police & emergency | 22 | 0% | 42 days |
| Rail & transport | 20 | 0% | 17 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 | £41,983 | £28,341 – £94,356 | 26 |
| NHS | £37,259 | £10,000 – £180,000 | 5,054 |
| Universities | £35,608 | £15,556 – £69,488 | 140 |
| Police & emergency | £34,662 | £25,583 – £51,928 | 18 |
| Councils | £32,973 | £10,041 – £130,906 | 1,170 |
| Schools | £25,989 | £10,000 – £193,273 | 1,902 |
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 (1,593, 20%), South East (1,584, 19%), North West (1,513, 19%), London (1,382, 17%), East of England (1,250, 15%) and South West (1,110, 14%).
Closing soonest
- Classroom Support Staff — Schools: Barnsbury Primary School and Nursery · Woking · £17,090.57 Annually (Actual)
The FTE salary is £25,133 · closes 29 September
- Early Years and Childcare Team Manager - Quality Improvement — Councils: West Sussex County Council · Chichester · £49817 to £53051 per year · closes 29 September
- WHSCT_Practice Nurse / Treatment Room Nurse (Band 6) — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Western Health & Social Care Trust · Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580) · closes 29 September
- Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) — Schools: St Clare Catholic Multi Academy Trust · Sheffield · £31,015.00 - £33,673.00 Annually (FTE) · closes 29 September
- Midday Assistant — Councils: Weaver Trust · Comberbach · £4370 to £4439 per year · closes 29 September
- WHSCT_Radiography Assistant SWAH Band 3 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · SWAH Southwest Hospital · Band 3 (£24,937 - £26,598) · closes 29 September
- Student Welfare Officer — Schools: Minehead Middle School · Minehead · £27,274.00 - £28,608.00 full time equivalent · closes 29 September
- Health Protection Manager — Councils: Test Valley Borough Council · Andover · £52866.6 to £57891.72 per year · closes 29 September
- WHSCT Personal Secretary Band 3 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Western Health & Social Care Trust · Band 3 (£24,937 - £26,598) · closes 29 September
- School Business Manager — Schools: Stephenson Academy · Milton Keynes · £40,777.00 - £47,181.00 Annually (FTE) · closes 29 September
- WHSCT_ Contract Monitoring Officer Band 6 — NHS: Western Health & Social Care Trust · Western Health & Social Care Trust · Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580) · closes 29 September
- TEACHING ASSISTANT LEVEL 2 PLUS SEND — Schools: St John Fisher RC Primary · Knowsley · £19481 to £19891 per year · closes 29 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._