View the Shortage Occupation List as maintained by the UK Border Agency.
The Shortage Occupation List applies to Tier 2 of the points based system, which replaces the UK Work Permit scheme. If an employer wishes to fill a position for an occupation on this list, they can offer the position to a foreign national without advertising the vacancy. The Shortage Occupation List is current for Tier 2 applications submitted on or after 27 November, 2008.
The Resident Labour Market Test, which involves advertising a position in the UK/EU and convincingly screening out UK/EU workers before offering the position to a foreign worker can take two to six weeks. If the position that you are trying to fill is on the shortage list, the application processing time to recruit a candidate under Tier 2 will be reduced significantly.
The Standard Occupational Classification system (SOC) is used to list the shortage occupations. A number of shortage occupations only apply to Scotland, as indicated on the list.
