Public Sector

From the policy making activity of top Civil Servants working with the government of the day to the administration of the refuse collection service of the smallest district council, work defined by the state as necessary to meet the fundamental needs of "the people" and society is undertaken by an enormous variety of public servants.

Direct and indirect taxation provide the revenue for the delivery of national and local services and pay the salaries of millions of people employed in the public sector - civil servants, local government officers, nurses, social workers, police officers, finance managers, etc. For more information on working in tax-related employment, please refer to the Finance section (link on left).

Every level of public sector activity is represented in Yorkshire with graduate employment opportunities in a multitude of government departments, agencies and local authorities as well as the professional cadres of major services such as health, education and the armed forces. Some are front-line workers, others are responsible for policy making and the efficient and effective management of public money and resources.

The public's expectations and the impact of factors such as technological or scientific developments or the spread of international terrorism affect the priorities and focus of the public sector. Perhaps surprisingly, given its reputation for bureaucracy, red tape, security of employment and "jobs for life", the public sector has had to become increasingly responsive to changes in society and demonstrate real flexibility in maintaining high levels of service in a rapidly changing world.

The sub-sections on the right and related sections in this databank, such as Health, will provide you with starting points to explore the range of public sector careers available to graduates in urban and rural Yorkshire.

For a list of local councils' websites which have various jobs please refer to the Local Government section (link on top right).

Local Government
Police, Probation Service & Criminal Justice
Social and Community Services

Fire Service
Civil Service
Education

Useful links:

jobsgopublic

jobsgopublic is now the largest Public and Not-for-Profit recruitment site in the UK, carrying job vacancies for hundreds of employers throughout the country. You can search by region or sub-region to find jobs within Yorkshire.

Sector1.net

Public sector jobs in the north.

Get a Life

National website with public sector vacancies.