Government ministers are weighing up the fate of the Shortage Occupation List (SOL), a tool introduced to help businesses fill critical vacancies.

But what exactly is this list, and how does its potential elimination affect the UK's business landscape and should you act quickly if you are thinking of using this route to recruit?

What is the Shortage Occupation List?

The shortage occupation list is a compilation of various roles – 92 at the time of writing - where there is a shortage of skilled or qualified workers within the UK. The list is compiled by government officials according to comprehensive analyses of the UK labour market

Because workers for the specific roles are in short supply, there is more relaxed eligibility criteria for sponsored work visa applications, meaning that employers are allowed to hire and sponsor overseas/foreign workers in these roles under more favourable criteria than for other roles that are not on the list.

It is a vital resource for the UK Government in identifying positions where the scarcity of skilled professionals is notably acute.

Some of the roles on the current shortage occupation list are:

  • Doctors, psychologists, pharmacists, medical radiographers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, all other health professionals;
    nurses, paramedics, nursing assistants
  • Teachers (secondary education teaching professionals as well as primary and nursery education teaching professionals)
  • Care workers and home carers
  • Civil, mechanical and electrical engineers
  • IT business analysts, architects and systems designers
  • Programmers and software development professionals
  • Veterinarians
  • Graphic designers
  • Bricklayers and masons, roofers, roof tilers and slaters, carpenters and joiners, construction and building trades as well as plasterers including dry liners

Why has this been in the news?

The Migrant Advisory Committee (MAC) is an independent, non-departmental body, which advises the Government on migration issues. In its Annual Report Review published in October 2023, one of its recommendations was to abolish the shortage occupation list in order to ensure that all occupations (even the ones listed as shortage occupations) are paid above general minimum salary threshold of £26,600. This comes with the aim of ensuring that all employees are capable of sustaining themselves on a salary that is NOT lower than this minimum threshold.

There are numerous advantages of employers in maintaining a list of shortage occupations eligible for hire under a Skilled Worker visa.

Shortage Occupations have allowed employers to recruit foreign/overseas employees quickly, with lower visa application fees and at competitive salaries effectively addressing their business skill shortages. The UK Government has also used the shortage occupation list to address particular skill needs of various sectors, most notably the Health & Care sector and the building/ construction industry. In particular, the shortage occupations have facilitated the hire of specialist IT roles, care worker roles, motor industry (mechanics) roles and construction trader roles.

However, the MAC report also highlighted concerns concerning the risk of exploitation of workers where the Shortage Occupation List permits employers paying employees below the designated going rate for that particular role. One of their recommendations as a alternative to the way the Shortage Occupation List works was to undertake 'standalone' reviews of particular sectors such as the manufacturing and hospitality sectors and consider whether 'tailored eligibility criteria' should be applied to meet labour demands. Another concept mooted in the review is for shortages to be assessed on a 'cross departmental basis with a wider skills lens' similar to how Australia's Priority Skills List works.

MAC remain very influential in shaping immigration policy with many of their recommendations being generally accepted by the government. Even though the latest review contains some very 'creative' alternatives to say the least, we still anticipate a number of changes to the operation of the Shortage Occupation List and a knock on effect to the Skilled Worker Category.

If you are sponsor currently employing skilled workers under any of the shortage occupations or if you have any questions on the potential changes contact our expert business immigration team for advice.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.