Public sector jobs in Cardiff

As the seat of Welsh government, Cardiff has more public sector jobs than any other Welsh city. The Welsh Government, the Senedd Commission, Cardiff Council and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board are the largest employers. UK government bodies such as Companies House, Welsh-wide NHS organisations, South Wales Police and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service add to the list. Pay and conditions in Wales are often set separately from England, so compare offers carefully.

Welsh Government and the Senedd

Welsh Government staff are civil servants and work mainly at Cathays Park in the city centre, with other offices around Wales. Roles cover policy, analysis, finance, legal, digital and operational work, and adverts appear on the Welsh Government’s own recruitment site and on Civil Service Jobs. The Welsh Government sets pay ranges for its grades. The Senedd Commission, which employs the staff who support the Senedd and its members, recruits separately.

UK government bodies have offices in Cardiff too. Companies House has its headquarters in the city and recruits for customer service, registration, digital and investigation roles. These are UK Civil Service jobs, with pay set by the organisation and pensions in the alpha scheme.

Health jobs

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board runs the University Hospital of Wales, University Hospital Llandough and community services, and plans and provides most NHS care in the city. Health boards in Wales cover both hospitals and community services, so one employer handles work that in England might be split across several trusts. Velindre University NHS Trust runs specialist cancer services and the Welsh Blood Service, and the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust covers 999 and 111 calls across Wales. Public Health Wales also employs staff in the city.

NHS Wales uses Agenda for Change bands, but the Welsh Government decides the pay award. For 2026/27 it announced 3.3 per cent, according to reports from the RCN. Check the Wales pay circular or the advert for exact band values, because they are not always identical to England’s. Jobs are advertised on NHS Jobs, with some applications handled through Trac.

Cardiff Council and schools

Cardiff Council is a unitary authority covering social services, education, housing, waste, highways, parks and leisure in the capital. Most jobs are on the NJC pay spine, which applies in Wales as well as England, and the 2026/27 award took the bottom point, SCP 3, to £25,614 from 1 April 2026. Councils in Wales advertise on their own websites.

Teachers in Wales are paid under a separate Welsh pay document. For 2026/27 the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body recommended 4.25 per cent, and in July 2026 the Welsh Government said it would consult on 3.5 per cent (5 per cent for unqualified teachers). The award was not confirmed in October 2026. Cardiff also has Welsh-medium schools, where teaching and many support posts require fluent Welsh.

Police and fire

South Wales Police covers Cardiff, Swansea and the valleys. Officer pay follows the England and Wales scale: a constable appointed now starts on £32,255 from 1 September 2026. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service pays national rates of £31,539 in development and £40,358 when competent, from 1 July 2026.

Tax, pensions and language

Income tax in Wales uses Welsh rates, set at 10p in each band for 2026/27, so a Welsh taxpayer pays the same total as someone in England on the same pay. Your tax code starts with C, such as C1257L, and Welsh C tax codes explains them. The NHS Pension Scheme, Local Government Pension Scheme and Teachers’ Pension Scheme all cover England and Wales, with the same member contribution rates.

Welsh language skills can make a difference in Cardiff. Each public body has to assess the language needs of its posts, so check the person specification. Welsh language skills in public sector jobs explains the levels, and public sector jobs in Wales covers how the wider system works.