The old UK shortage occupation list is dead. Honestly, if you’re still looking for that specific term on government websites, you’re chasing a ghost. In April 2024, the Home Office basically flipped the table on the old system and replaced it with the Immigration Salary List (ISL). It wasn't just a name change for the sake of branding; it was a fundamental shift in how the UK handles labor gaps.
It’s a mess for some. It's a goldmine for others.
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If you’re a business owner or a skilled worker trying to navigate the employment shortage list UK framework, you've likely realized that the goalposts haven't just moved—they've been replaced by a different sport entirely. The UK government is currently obsessed with "high wage, high skill," which sounds great in a manifesto but feels a lot different when you’re trying to hire a bricklayer or a lab tech and the salary thresholds keep climbing.
Why the ISL replaced the old shortage list
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) got tired of the old system being used as a "backdoor" for lower-wage labor. That's the blunt truth. Previously, being on the shortage list meant employers could pay workers 80% of the job’s "going rate." It was a massive discount.
The new rules killed that 20% salary discount.
Now, if a job is on the employment shortage list UK (the ISL), the main benefit isn't a lower salary across the board. It’s a slightly lower threshold compared to the standard Skilled Worker visa requirements. For most jobs, you now need to earn at least £38,700 to get a visa. If the role is on the ISL? That floor drops to £30,960.
But here’s the kicker: you still have to pay the "going rate" for that specific occupation. If the going rate for a specialized engineer is £45,000, you can't pay them £31,000 just because they're on the list. You pay the higher of the two. This has effectively priced out hundreds of small businesses from the international talent pool.
What actually stayed on the list?
It's a much shorter list than it used to be. The MAC pruned it hard. They looked at sectors where domestic recruitment is genuinely impossible and where the jobs provide a strategic value to the UK economy.
You’ll find a lot of "green" jobs and construction roles here. We’re talking about roofers, tilers, and carpenters. The UK is currently in a desperate race to hit housing targets and retrofit homes for net-zero, but we simply don't have the people to do it. You've also got specialized roles like laboratory technicians and certain types of pharmaceutical assistants.
Care workers and senior care workers are the big ones. They are still on the list, but there’s a massive catch that happened in early 2024: they can no longer bring their families (dependants) with them. This change alone caused a massive spike in anxiety across the social care sector. Who wants to move across the world to work a grueling job if they can't bring their spouse or kids? Recruitment numbers in care have taken a visible hit because of this policy shift.
The sectors feeling the most heat
Let’s talk about the trades. If you walk onto any major construction site in London or Manchester, you’ll hear a dozen different languages. The UK needs 225,000 extra construction workers by 2027, according to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
But the ISL is picky.
- Bricklayers and masons: They're on there.
- Roofers, slaters, and tilers: On there.
- Carpenters and joiners: Included.
- Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified: A bit of a catch-all for specialist installers.
Wait, what about hospitality?
Basically, hospitality got the cold shoulder. Despite the industry screaming for help, the government decided that chefs and restaurant managers didn't belong on the employment shortage list UK anymore. The logic? They want restaurants to pay more and hire locally. The reality? Many family-run spots are just closing down because they can't find staff and they can't afford a £38,700 salary for a line cook.
It’s a brutal balancing act.
The "Going Rate" Trap
This is where people get confused. Let's say you're a graphic designer. You see that your job code isn't on the ISL. You think, "Fine, I'll just apply for a regular Skilled Worker visa."
Then you see the salary requirement.
The "going rate" for many roles was recently updated based on the 25th percentile of UK wages to the 50th percentile (the median). This was a massive jump. For some tech roles, the required salary jumped by over £10,000 overnight. If you aren't on the employment shortage list UK, you are competing in a market where the entry price is now "mid-career" money.
The Health and Care exception
Health and care is the outlier. It has its own salary scale. Because the NHS is basically the backbone of the country's social fabric, the government couldn't apply the £38,700 rule there without the whole system collapsing.
If you are working in a role that falls under the Health and Care visa, you’re looking at much lower thresholds—often around £23,200 or the specific national pay scale for your grade. This is the only area where the "shortage" logic still feels like the old days. But again, the "no dependants" rule for social care workers has made this a lot less attractive than it was two years ago.
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How the list is actually decided
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) doesn't just guess. They look at "indicators of shortage." This includes things like:
- Vacancy duration: How long has that job posting been sitting on LinkedIn or Indeed?
- Wage growth: Are companies actually raising pay to attract locals? If pay is stagnant, the MAC assumes the "shortage" is just an employer being cheap.
- Future-proofing: Does the UK need this skill for the next 10 years (like nuclear engineers or high-end programmers)?
They also take "call for evidence" submissions. Trade unions and big industry bodies like the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) send in huge dossiers of data trying to prove they need help. Sometimes the MAC listens. Sometimes they tell the industry to "invest in automation."
Real-world impact: A Tale of Two Cities
Think about a tech startup in Cambridge versus a care home in rural Cornwall.
The tech startup is mostly fine. They’re already paying £50,000+ for developers, so the new salary thresholds don't bother them. They don't even care if they're on the employment shortage list UK.
The care home in Cornwall is in trouble. They need ten new carers. They can't afford to pay £30,000 per person because their funding from the local council is capped. Even if they find people willing to move from overseas, those people won't come because they can't bring their families. This is the "hidden" crisis of the new shortage list—it works for the wealthy sectors and fails the essential ones.
What should you do right now?
If you are looking to hire or be hired, the "shortage" list isn't the silver bullet it used to be. You need a strategy that goes beyond just checking a list of job codes.
Check the SOC code first.
Every job in the UK has a Standard Occupational Classification code. You need to find yours. Don't look at the job title your boss gave you; look at the duties. If your duties match an ISL code, you've just made your visa process 20% easier.
Audit your salary expectations.
If you're an applicant, don't settle for the minimum. The Home Office is looking for reasons to reject applications that look like "wage dumping." Ensure the salary offered is the higher of the ISL threshold or the specific occupation's going rate.
Look at the "New Entrant" route.
If you’re under 26, a recent graduate, or working toward a professional qualification, you might qualify for a lower salary threshold regardless of whether the job is on the shortage list. This is a massive loophole that many people overlook. You can get a 30% discount on the going rate for up to four years.
Evaluate the "Creative Worker" visa.
If you're in the arts, the employment shortage list UK might not be your best bet anyway. The Creative Worker visa (Temporary Work) has different rules and can be a faster route for specific projects, though it doesn't lead directly to permanent residency (Indefinite Leave to Remain) as easily as the Skilled Worker route.
The UK immigration landscape is currently in a state of "permanent transition." The list gets reviewed. Policies shift with the political wind. But as of now, the Immigration Salary List is the only map we have for the shortage landscape.
Immediate Action Steps
- For Employers: Conduct a salary audit of your international staff. If you have people on visas coming up for renewal, the old "shortage" rules won't apply. They will likely need to meet the new, higher salary thresholds to stay in the country.
- For Candidates: Use the UK government's "CASCOT" tool to find your exact SOC code. Verify if it falls under the ISL. If it doesn't, start negotiating your salary upwards now to hit that £38,700 mark.
- For Everyone: Keep an eye on the MAC's annual reports. They usually signal which way the wind is blowing six months before the law actually changes.
The era of cheap international labor in the UK is over. The new employment shortage list UK (the ISL) is a surgical tool designed to fill very specific gaps, not a broad-brush solution for every struggling industry. Navigating it requires a bit of cynicism and a lot of data. Be ready to prove why you—or your employee—are worth the premium the Home Office now demands.