The UK Skills Shortage
List of UK Shortage Occupations

The UK shortage occupations are jobs for which there are not enough UK resident workers available to fill.

If the economy must grow, people with the right skill mix must be allowed into the UK to fill such roles where there is a dearth of indigenous UK skilled workers.

A survey of European CIOs by IDC for Cisco has found demand for people with these skills is "likely to outstrip availability by about 40,000 people in the UK. Across Europe there will be a shortfall of half a million people."

Read a report from Contractor UK website, a leading IT provider:

"Britain is facing an IT skills gap in the workforce that threatens to damage global competitiveness within 10 years if not addressed, according to a new report from E-Skills".

… and from the BBC,

"The skills shortage is costing the UK billions of pounds".

Literacy, numeracy and skills levels in the UK are so poor that a quarter of employers struggle to fill job vacancies, a report says.

A study by the national Skills Task Force backs up previous research by suggesting that nearly one in five adults - about seven million - have a lower level of literacy than the average 11 year old.

So the UK needs you. You don't have to be a rocket scientist or professor of brain surgery to be on the list. If you are a senior care assistant with NVQ 2 qualification, and proof of proficiency in English language, you may be on your way to getting a leave to come into or remain in the UK.

List of UK Shortage Occupations

We list these occupations in alphabetic order (headings) as much as possible.

Agricultural (And Fishing Trades)Occupation Code = 5119

• Skilled work rider where the job:
• requires registration by the British Horse racing Authority (and the trainer has therefore submitted the SER1 registration form); and
• requires three or more years’ relevant experience, with work responsibilities covering those acquired in an S/NVQ level 3 in Horse Care and Management or Racehorse Care and Management

Biological Scientists (And Biochemists) Occupation Code = 2112

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code:

• Cardiac physiologist

• Clinical neurophysiologist

• Clinical vascular scientist

• Respiratory physiologist

• Sleep physiologist

Butchers (And Meat Cutters) Occupation Code = 5431

ONLY the following job in this occupation code:

• Skilled meat boner where the pay is at least £9.00 per hour

• Skilled meat trimmer where the pay is at least £9.00 per hour

Care Assistants (And Home Carers)Occupation Code = 6115

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code for UK skills shortage:

• Skilled senior care workers where:
• the pay is at least £7.80 per hour after deductions for accommodation, meals etc; and
• the job includes supervisory responsibilities (as defined in the code of practice); and
• the job requires at least a relevant S/NVQ level 2 or equivalent qualification in care; and
• the job requires two or more years relevant experience (this does not include experience gained during a work placement as part of a qualification)

• Skilled senior care workers in Scotland / Wales where:
  • the pay is at least £7.80 per hour after deductions for accommodation, meals etc; and
  • there is a regulatory requirement for the jobholder to hold at least a relevant S/NVQ level 3 or equivalent qualification in care

Chefs & Cooks - Occupation Code = 5434

ONLY the following job in this occupation code for UK skills shortage:

• Skilled chef where:
  • the pay is at least £8.45 per hour after deductions for accommodation, meals etc; and
  • the job requires three or more years relevant experience

Chemical Engineers - Occupation Code = 2125

• ALL jobs in this occupation code

Civil Engineers - Occupation Code = 2121

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code:

• Geotechnical engineer

• Geotechnical design engineer

• Geotechnical specialist

• Reservoir panel engineer

• Rock mechanics engineer

• Soil mechanics engineer

• Geomechanics engineer

• Tunnelling engineer

• Petroleum engineer

• Geoenvironmental engineer Section F – construction

• Contaminated land engineer

• Drilling engineer

• Completions engineer

• Fluids engineer

• Reservoir engineer

• Status resource engineer

• Offshore and Subsea engineer

• control and instrument engineer

• Process safety engineer

• Planning drilling engineer

• Subsurface engineer

• Project civil engineer in the electricity generation industry

• Contaminated land engineer

Dancers (And Choreographers) - Occupation Code = 3414

• skilled classical ballet dancers who meet the standard required by internationally recognised United Kingdom ballet companies (e.g. Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre, The Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet). The company must either:
  • have performed at or been invited to perform at venues of the calibre of the Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells or Barbican, either in the United Kingdom or overseas; or
  • attract dancers and/or choreographers and other artists from other countries; or

  • be endorsed as being internationally recognized by a United Kingdom industry body such as the Arts Councils (of England, Scotland and/or Wales)

Dental Practitioners - Occupation Code = 2215

ONLY the following job in this occupation code:

• Consultants in Paediatric Dentistry

Design (And Development Engineers) Occupation Code = 2126

ONLY the following job in this occupation code:

• Design engineer in the electricity transmission and distribution industry

Electrical/Electronics Engineers(not elsewhere classified) Occupation Code = 5249

• Site supervisor in the electricity transmission and distribution industry

Electrical Engineers(not elsewhere classified) Occupation Code = 2123

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code for UK skills shortage:

all electrical engineers in the oil and gas industry
• all electrical engineers in the electricity transmission and distribution industry, including the following:
  • power system engineer
  • control engineer
  • protection engineer
  • project control engineer
  • control and instrumentation engineer
  • assistant engineer

Engineering Professionals(not elsewhere classified) Occupation Code = 2129

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code:

• the following jobs in the electricity transmission and distribution industry:
  • project engineer
  • proposals engineer

Engineering Technicians - Occupation Code = 3113

• commissioning engineer

Fishing And Agriculture Related Occupations(not elsewhere classified) Occupation Code = 9119

• Skilled sheep shearer with a British Wool Marketing Board bronze medal (or equivalent) or above

Line Repairers and Cable Jointers - Occupation Code = 5243

• Overhead lines worker in the electricity transmission and distribution industry

Managers in Mining and Energy - Occupation Code = 1123

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code for UK skills shortage:

• the following jobs in the electricity transmission and distribution and the electricity generation industries:
  • site manager
  • station manager
  • shift/group leader

Mechanical Engineers - Occupation Code = 2122

• mechanical engineer in the electricity transmission and distribution industry

• mechanical engineer in the electricity generation industry

Medical and Dental Technicians - Occupation Code = 3218

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code for UK skills shortage:

• nuclear medicine technologist

• radiotherapy technologist

Medical Practitioners - Occupation Code = 2211

• Consultants in the following specialties:
  • audiological medicine
  • genito-urinary medicine
  • haematology
  • medical microbiology and virology
  • neurology
  • nuclear medicine
  • obstetrics and gynaecology
  • occupational medicine
  • paediatric surgery

• Consultants in the following specialties of psychiatry:
• forensic psychiatry
• general psychiatry
• learning disabilities psychiatry
• old age psychiatry

• Non-consultant, non-training, medical staff posts in the following specialties:
  • anaesthetics
  • paediatrics and general medicine specialities delivering acute care services (intensive care medicine, general internal medicine (acute), emergency medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, and trauma and orthopaedic surgery)

• ST4 level trainees in paediatrics

Medical Radiographers - Occupation Code = 3214

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code for UK skills shortage:

• HPC-registered diagnostic radiographer

• HPC-registered therapeutic radiographer

• Sonographer

Metal Working Production and Maintenance Fitters = 5223

• Licensed and military certifying engineer / inspector technician

• Airframe fitter

Musicians - Occupation Code = 3415

ONLY the following job in this occupation code for UK skills shortage:

• Skilled orchestral musicians who meet the standard required by internationally recognized companies (e.g. London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)

Nurses - Occupation Code = 3211

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code:

• Specialist nurse working in operating theaters

• Operating department practitioner

• Specialist nurse working in neonatal intensive care units

Pharmacists/ Pharmacologists - Occupation Code = 2213

• Pre-registration pharmacist working in the NHS or hospitals

• Registered pharmacist working in the NHS or hospitals

Photographers and Audio Visual Equipment Operators - Occupation Code = 3434

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code:

• The following roles within visual effects and 2D/3D computer animation for film, television or video games:
  • animation supervisor

  • animator
  • computer graphics supervisor
  • technical director
  • VFX supervisor
  • modeller
  • rigging supervisor
  • rigger
  • matte painter
  • texture artist
  • compositing artist
  • producer
  • production manager
  • editor
  • R&D tools
  • R&D software
  • software engineer
  • system engineer

Physicists, Geologists and Meteorologists - Occupation Code = 2113

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code for UK skills shortage:

• engineering geologist

• hydro geologist

• geophysicist

• geoscientist

• geophysical specialist

• engineering geophysicist

• engineering geomorphologist

• nuclear medicine scientist

• radiotherapy physicist

• staff working in diagnostic radiology (including magnetic resonance imaging).

Planning and Quality Control Engineers - Occupation Code = 2128

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code for UK skills shortage:

• The following jobs in the electricity transmission and distribution industry:
  • Planning / development engineer
  • quality, health, safety and environment engineer

Production and Process Engineers - Occupation Code = 2127

• Plant process engineer in the electricity transmission and distribution industry

Production, Works and Maintenance Managers - Occupation Code = 1121

ONLY the following job in this occupation code for UK skills shortage:

• Project manager in the electricity transmission and distribution industry

Science And Engineering Technicians not elsewhere classified - Occupation Code = 3119

ONLY the following job in this occupation code:

• Production controller in the electricity generation industry

Secondary Education Teaching Professionals - Occupation Code = 2314

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code:

• secondary education teachers in the subjects of maths or pure sciences (physics, chemistry, biology and any combination of these)

Social workers - Occupation Code = 2314

ONLY the following job in this occupation code for UK skills shortage:

• Social worker in children’s and family services

Special Needs Education Teaching Professionals - Occupation Code = 2316

ONLY the following jobs in this occupation code:

• all teaching posts in special schools

Speech and Language Therapists - Occupation Code = 3223

• Speech and language therapist at Agenda for Change bands 7+ or their independent sector equivalents

Therapists not elsewhere classified - Occupation Code = 3229

ONLY the following job in this occupation code:

• HPC-registered orthoptist

Veterinarians - Occupation Code = 2216

ONLY the following job in this occupation code:

• veterinary surgeon

Must be registered as a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) to work in the UK.

Welding Trades - Occupation Code = 5215

ONLY the following job in this occupation code:

• high integrity pipe welder where the job requires three or more years related on-the-job experience

We endeavour to regularly update this list of UK skills shortage from time to time. The above list was last updated on the 25th of April 2010.

Do you want to apply under tier 2 point based system? You require to score 50 points under attribute, and then 10 on English language (ability to speak the language) and 10 points under funds to care for self. You can get immigration lawyers and experts to help with your application if you think you meet any of the UK skills shortage qualification. Remember, in most cases, you can apply by yourself. The most important issue is meeting the UK skills shortage or occupation requirement.

For further resources on shortage occupation, see the following: