Tier 2 National Shortage Occupation List
Call the London Office on +44 (0)844 991 9222 for a Tier 2 consultation or an appointment.
UK National Shortage Occupation List
The list below constitutes the UK Shortage Occupation list relating to entry under Tier 2 of the new five-tier system. Tier 2 replaced the UK Work Permit scheme on 27 November, 2008.
Here is the link to official Government-approved shortage occupation list for Tier 2 of the points-based system.
If the job is on the shortage occupation list then an employer can offer the job to an overseas person without having first fulfilled the Resident Labour Market Test by advertising the vacancy in the UK. The list is current at 27 November, 2008 but is subject to change at any time. The next scheduled review will be in March 2009.
Jobs are listed under each of the major SOC 2000 codes. (SOC stands for Standard Occupational Classification). The 4 digit code relates to a group of job titles. Specific job titles within this group which are included on the shortage occupation list are shown below. Please note that job titles and descriptions in red apply only to Scotland
Managers and Senior Officials (SOC major group 1000)
| SOC Code | Related Occupation Title | Job Titles included on the shortage occupation list | Other Information |
| 1122 | Managers in Construction | Project Manager for property development and construction | The individual must lead on a project or combination of projects that would amount to a large financial responsibility of at least several million GBP |
Professional Occupations (SOC major group 2000)
| SOC Code | Related Occupation Title | Job Titles included on the shortage occupation list | Other Information |
| 2112 | Biological Scientists & Biochemists | audiological scientist, biomedical scientist (band 6 and above), state registered scientist in cytogenetics | |
| 2113 | Physicists, Geologists, Meteorologists | geologist, geological engineer, hydrogeologist, geophysical specialist, geological advisor, geological analyst, geological associate, geophysicist, geoscientist, geosupport engineer, contaminated land engineer, geoenvironmental engineer, reservoir panel engineer, rock mechanics engineer, soil mechanics engineer, geomechanics engineer, landfill engineer, contaminated land specialist, geoenvironmentalist | |
| 2121 | Civil Engineers | ALL JOB TITLES including: public health engineer, rail engineer, drainage engineer, structural engineer, water engineer, geotechnical engineer, geotechnical design engineer, geotechnical specialist, tunnelling engineer, marine engineer, mining engineer, mining geotechnical engineer, petroleum engineer | |
| 2125 | Chemical Engineers | All JOB TITLES including: chemical engineer, petrophysicist | |
| 2211, 2215 | Medical Practitioners, Dental Practitioners | consultants in the field of psychiatry, consultants with the following job titles: anaesthetics & intensive care, chemical pathology, chemical neurophysiology, clinical oncology, dermatology, genito-urinary medicine, haematology, immunology, neurology, occupational medicine, oral & maxillo-facial surgery, orthodontics, paediatrics, paediatric dentistry, plastic surgery, renal medicine | |
| 2212 | Psychologists | clinical psychologist | |
| 2213 | Pharmacists & Pharmacologists | pharmacist | |
| 2216 | Veterinarians | veterinary surgeon | The individual must be registered as a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to work in the UK |
| 2314 | Secondary Education Teaching Professionals | secondary education teachers of maths or science | |
| 2433 | Quantity Surveyors | ALL JOB TITLES | |
| 2442 | Social Workers | ALL JOB TITLES |
Associate Professional & Technical Occupations (SOC major group 3000)
| SOC Code | Related Occupation Title | Job Titles included on the shortage occupation list | Other Information |
| 3113 | Engineering Technicians | aircraft component manufacturing engineer | |
| 3211 | Nurses | registered nurse employed or engaged at band 7 or 8 of the Agenda for Change scale or their independent sector equivalents, registered nurse at band 5 or above employed or engaged in the following specialities: operating theatre nurse, anaesthetic nurse, operating department practitioner, scrub nurse, theatre nurse, critical care nurse (working in critical units with a 2 or 3 classification), nurses in care of the elderly units at bands 5 and above in SCOTLAND only | |
| 3214 | Medical Radiographers | ultrasonographer, HPC registered radiographer | |
| 3217 | Pharmaceutical Dispensers | pharmacy technician | |
| 3218 | Medical & Dental Technicians | audiologist | |
| 3222 | Occupational Therapists | occupational therapist engaged at band 7 or 8 of the Agenda for Change scale or their independent sector equivalents | |
| 3223 | Speech & Language Therapists | speech & language therapist employed or engaged at band 7 or 8 of the Agenda for Change scale or their independent sector equivalents, ALL JOB TITLES in SCOTLAND only | |
| 3229 | Therapists | orthopist, dietician (band 7) | |
| 3414 | Dancers & Choreographers | skilled ballet dancer | A dancer must reach the standard required by internationally recognized UK ballet companies (eg Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre, the Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet) |
| 3513 | Ship & Hovercraft Officers | ALL JOB TITLES | The individual must hold a Certificate of Equivalent Competency from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, indicating qualification to a level equivalent to Officer of the Watch certification or above. |
Administrative & Secretarial Occupations (SOC major group 4000)
No shortage occupations currently in this category
Skilled Trades Occupations (SOC major group 5000)
| SOC Code | Related Occupation Title | Job Titles included on the shortage occupation list | Other Information |
| 5216 | Pipe Fitters | high integrity pipe welder | The individual must have three or more years' documented evidence of related on-the-job experience |
| 5243 | Lines Repairers & Cable Jointers | electricity transmission overhead lines worker | |
| 5434 | Chefs, Cooks | skilled chef | Skilled' requires that the individual is earning at least GBP 8.10 per hour after deductions for accommodation, meals, etc |
Personal Service Occupations (SOC major group 6000)
| SOC Code | Related Occupation Title | Job Titles included on the shortage occupation list | Other Information |
| 6115 | Care Assistants & Home Carers | skilled senior case worker | Skilled' requires that the individual is earning at least GBP 8.80 per hour after deductions for accommodation, meals, etc. OR there is a requirement for senior care workers to be qualified at National Qualifications Framework level 3 or above (currently only the case in Wales and Scotland) |
| 6139 | Animal Care Occupations | skilled work rider | There must be documentary evidence that the individual has three or more years' paid experience in this job, at a level equivalent to NVQ level 3. The individual must also be licensed by the British Horse Racing Authority |
Sales & Customer Services Occupations (SOC major group 7000)
No shortage occupations currently in this category
Process, Plant & Machine Operatives (SOC major group 8000)
| SOC Code | Related Occupation Title | Job Titles included on the shortage occupation list | Other Information |
| 8111 | Food, Drink & Tobacco Process Operatives | manual filleters of frozen fish in SCOTLAND only, machine trained operatives and quality controllers in the fish processing industry in SCOTLAND only | Individual must have three or more years paid experience in this job |
Elementary Occupations (SOC major group 9000)
| SOC Code | Related Occupation Title | Job Titles included on the shortage occupation list | Other Information |
| 9119 | Fishing & Agriculture Related Occupations | skilled sheep shearer | The individual must hold the British Wool Marketing Board bronze medal (or equivalent) or above and there must be documentary evidence that the individual has worked at this level for three years. |