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  • The Migration Advisory Committee publishes its review of the Shortage Occupation List

The Migration Advisory Committee publishes its review of the Shortage Occupation List

The MAC have recommended eight new roles be added to the list – mainly from the construction and care sectors.

06 Oct 2023, 2 min read

This year the MAC has recommended a smaller list of occupations, including bricklayers, roofers and retrofitters, laboratory and pharmaceutical technicians; and some racing industry roles, alongside care workers. For Scotland specifically, fishing boat masters and ship builders have been recommended. 

The MAC’s review was based on a new change – that employers should no longer be allowed to pay wages below the UK going rate. This means that the majority of higher-skilled occupations previously on the SOL – such as IT technicians - were not included this year, with the MAC arguing that employers willing to match UK pay rates could use the skilled worker visa route instead. 

It is important to note that while the Committee has recommended these roles be added to the SOL, it is up to the government whether or not they accept the MAC’s recommendations. 

Controversially, the MAC have called for the government to abolish or heavily reform the SOL, recommending instead that the MAC could be commissioned to examine individual occupations or sectors where labour market issues are particularly acute. 

The announcement comes as Labour published their plans for immigration reform – with a focus on ensuring the economy has the skills it needs and that prolonged vacancies do not hold back growth. This includes a promise of more coordination between the immigration system and other labour market policies – with the MAC enabled to review shortages more often and take account of those specific to the nations and regions.

The CBI has consistently argued that the MAC’s review of the SOL isn’t working – with various sectors facing shortages excluded from the list due to the Committee’s ‘sensible’ test. The CBI’s Autumn Statement Submission called for reform – including turning the MAC into a tripartite organisation with greater business representation. 

The MAC’s full report can be found here. 

Please get in touch with Katie for more information.