Sectors like tech, banking, and medicine are at risk of facing shortages of highly skilled workers in the UK.

The news comes from a report published by recruitment firm Hays, highlighting that the UK is among the top five countries to face a prevalent shortage of talent, alongside New Zealand, Portugal, Canada and Switzerland.

The analysis concluded that the UK has a “pressing need” to address its skills shortages, or it runs the risk of falling behind international peers.

“To ensure the UK can continue to compete on the global stage, it needs a steady supply of talent with the right skills,” said Nigel Kirkham, the chief executive of enterprise solutions at Hays.

It’s speculated that Brexit could have impacted the number of skilled workers in the UK, making it harder for skilled workers to come from Europe.

It’s not impossible to recruit from abroad, thanks to the Skilled Worker Visa. Here’s a closer look at what the skilled worker visa is.

What is a Skilled Worker Visa?

A Skilled Worker Visa was introduced in 2020, allowing employers to recruit skilled workers from outside the UK to fill vacancies and also allowing migrants to bring their families to the UK.

Jobs on the Skilled Worker Visa list require 80 per cent of the route’s usual minimum rate to qualify for a Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa, based on a 37.5-hour working week.

Which sectors are on the shortage list?

The UK Shortage Occupation List (SOL) is a list of occupations in the UK that are deemed to be in short supply.

The list is part of the UK Immigration Rules and is used to make it easier for employers to sponsor skilled non-UK workers under the Skilled Worker visa.

There are specific jobs within several sectors, as listed below.

Health and Care

• Health services and public health managers and directors

• Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors

• Senior care workers

Science/ Engineering

• Chemical scientists in the nuclear industry

• Biological scientists and biochemists

• Physical scientists in the construction-related ground engineering industry, limited to engineering geologist, hydrogeologist, and geophysicist

• Physical scientists in the oil and gas industry, with some specific limitations

• Civil engineers

• Mechanical engineers

• Electrical engineers

• Electronics engineers

• Design and development engineers

• Production and process engineers

• Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified

• Quality control and planning engineers

Construction

• Bricklayers and masons

• Roofers, roof tilers and slaters

• Carpenters and joiners

• Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified

• Plasterers (including dryliners)

IT

• IT business analysts, architects and systems designers

• Programmers and software development professionals

• Web design and development professionals

• Information technology and communications professionals not elsewhere classified, limited to cyber security specialists

Fishing

• Agriculture and fishing trades not elsewhere classified

• Deckhands on large fishing vessels (nine metres and above) where the job requires the worker to have at least 3 years’ full-time experience in using their skills

Professional Services/Medicine/ Other Trades

• Veterinarians

• Actuaries, economists and statisticians, limited to

• Bio-informaticians

• Informaticians

• Architects

• Laboratory technicians

• Welding trades – only high integrity pipe welders, where the job requires three or more years’ related on-the-job experience

Creative Sector

• Artists

• Dancers and choreographers

• Some musicians

• Arts officers, producers and directors

• Graphic designers

Medicine

• Medical practitioners

• Psychologists

• Pharmacists

• Medical radiographers – including radiotherapy practitioners/ technologists)

• Health professionals not elsewhere classified

• Nurses

• Paramedics

• Nursing auxiliaries and assistants

Therapy

Education/Professional Services

• Secondary education teaching professionals – only teachers in maths, physics, science (where an element of physics will be taught), computer science and modern foreign languages

• Secondary education teaching professionals – only teachers in Gaelic

• Primary and nursery education teaching professionals – only Gaelic medium teachers

• Social workers

Why is the UK facing a skilled worker shortage?

While immigration and Brexit are thought to be playing a role in the skilled worker shortage, the high cost of living in the UK is also thought to play a role.

Many people cannot afford to pay for education or training, or take roles with low or no pay, as they would need to learn many skilled worker roles.

What’s more, the UK has an aging population, with 19.17 per cent of the UK population aged over 65 years old as of 2022. That means nearly a fifth of the UK’s population is of retirement age, also representing a diminished workforce.