ArticleUK Shortage Occupation List 2024

Understanding the UK’s Shortage Occupation List (SOL) is crucial for employers and HR professionals involved in international recruitment. Missteps in hiring sponsored workers can lead to serious consequences, including Home Office enforcement actions like licence suspensions and the curtailing of employee visas.

Recent developments in the Shortage Occupation List:

The Home Office updated the SOL in August 2023, with roles included on the list based on recommendations from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). These recommendations aim to align with the needs of UK businesses and the selective criteria of the UK Points Based System for sponsored visa applications.

In October 2023, the MAC released a comprehensive report on the SOL. Key recommendations included adding occupations to the list and removing the going rate discount for SOL roles. The report also suggested renaming the SOL to the “Immigration Salary Discount List” (ISDL) for a more precise depiction of its function.

Following this, in December 2023, the Government announced a new ‘Immigration Salary List’ as part of its five-point immigration plan, replacing the SOL in Spring 2024. The new list will maintain the general threshold discount but will eliminate the 20% going rate salary discount for shortage occupations. Additionally, the MAC has been tasked with reviewing the roles on the SOL to potentially reduce the number of occupations on the new Immigration Salary List.

Understanding the Shortage Occupation List:

The SOL, detailed in Appendix Skilled Occupations of the UK Immigration Rules, includes roles deemed to be in short supply within the UK resident labour market. These roles are subject to more relaxed eligibility criteria for sponsored work visa applications.

Under the new points-based immigration system, non-UK resident workers generally must apply for a Skilled Worker visa, replacing the Tier 2 (General) visa. Employers sponsoring skilled non-UK resident workers must meet strict requirements related to the role, with workers needing to attain 70 points covering skills, language, and salary.

Advantages of the Shortage Occupation List:

Roles on the SOL offer several benefits, such as lower visa application fees and permission for SOL workers to undertake a second job. There is also a salary ‘discount’ when SOL workers apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

The 2024 Shortage Occupation List:

The SOL comprises two tables, each specifying the Standard Occupational Classification Code (SOC) for eligible roles. Table 1 details shortage occupations where applicants for entry clearance or permission to stay may be paid 80% of the going rate for the occupation code.

Occupation code	Types of jobs featured on the shortage occupations list	Regions in the UK experiencing a shortage	Annual salary (80% of going rate)
1181	Health services and public health managers and directors – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £33,040 (£16.94 per hour)
1242	Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £22,640 (£11.61 per hour)
2111	Chemical scientists – only jobs in the nuclear industry	Scotland only	80% of going rate: £22,800 (£11.69 per hour)
2112	Biological scientists and biochemists – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £24,480 (£12.55 per hour)
2113	Physical scientists – only the following jobs in the construction-related ground engineering industry: engineering geologist hydrogeologist geophysicist	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £26,080 (£13.37 per hour)
2113	Physical scientists – only the following jobs in the oil and gas industry: geophysicist geoscientist geologist geochemist technical services manager in the decommissioning and waste areas of the nuclear industry senior resource geologist and staff geologist in the mining sector	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £26,080 (£13.37 per hour)
2114	Social and humanities scientists – only archaeologists	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £20,480 (£10.50 per hour)
2121	Civil engineers – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £27,760 (£14.24 per hour)
2122	Mechanical engineers – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £26,400 (£13.54 per hour)
2123	Electrical engineers – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £31,440 (£16.12 per hour)
2124	Electronics engineers – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £27,120 (£13.91 per hour)
2126	Design and development engineers – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £27,280 (£13.99 per hour)
2127	Production and process engineers – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £25,600 (£13.13 per hour)
2129	Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £26,720 (£13.70 per hour)
2135	IT business analysts, architects and systems designers – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £30,080 (£15.43 per hour)
2136	Programmers and software development professionals – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £27,200 (£13.95 per hour)
2137	Web design and development professionals – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £21,440 (£10.99 per hour)
2139	Information technology and communications professionals not elsewhere classified – only cyber security specialists	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £25,680 (£13.17 per hour)
2216	Veterinarians – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £26,960 (£13.83 per hour)
2425	Actuaries, economists and statisticians – only bio-informaticians and informaticians	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £26,880 (£13.78 per hour)
2431	Architects – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £26,320 (£13.50 per hour)
2461	Quality control and planning engineers – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £25,280 (£12.96 per hour)
3111	Laboratory technicians – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £15,120 (£7.75 per hour)
3411	Artists – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £16,400 (£8.41 per hour)
3414	Dancers and choreographers – only skilled classical ballet dancers or skilled contemporary dancers who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK ballet or contemporary dance companies. The company must be endorsed as being internationally recognised by a UK industry body such as the Arts Councils (of England, Scotland or Wales).	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £16,960 (£8.70 per hour)
3415	Musicians – only skilled orchestral musicians who are leaders, principals, sub-principals or numbered string positions, and who meet the standard required by internationally recognised UK orchestras. The orchestra must a full member of the Association of British Orchestras.	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £24,960 (£12.80 per hour)
3416	Arts officers, producers and directors – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £23,360 (£11.98 per hour)
3421	Graphic designers – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £18,400 (£9.44 per hour)
5119	Agriculture and fishing trades not elsewhere classified – only jobs in the fishing industry	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £17,600 (£9.03 per hour)
5215	Welding trades – only high integrity pipe welders, where the job requires 3 or more years’ related on-the-job experience. This experience must not have been gained through illegal working.	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £18,480 (£9.48 per hour)
5312	Bricklayers and masons – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £18,640 (£9.56 per hour)
5313	Roofers, roof tilers and slaters – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £16,160 (£8.29 per hour)
5315	Carpenters and joiners – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £18,000 (£9.23 per hour)
5319	Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £17,760 (£9.11 per hour)
5321	Plasterers – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £19,200 (£9.85 per hour)
6145	Care workers and home carers – private households or individuals (other than sole traders sponsoring someone to work for their business) cannot sponsor Skilled Worker applicants	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	No going rate – the salary must be at least £20,960 per year or £10.75 per hour
6146	Senior care workers – all jobs	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £14,880 (£7.63 per hour)
9119	Fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified – only deckhands on large fishing vessel (9 metres and above).  The job must require 3 or more years’ full-time experience.  This experience must not have been gained through illegal working.	England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland	80% of going rate: £14,400 (£7.38 per hour