Migration Advisory Committee recommends 28 occupations for limited access to new Temporary Shortage List

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) yesterday published its second stage review of the Government’s new Temporary Shortage List (TSL), recommending that 28 occupations should be added to the list for an initial period of 18 months. No occupations were considered to have a strong enough case for inclusion until the next full review of the TSL, expected to be in three years.

You can download the 83-page report here or read it online here. It follows on from the MAC’s first stage review published last October.

As the report explains, the TSL is a new mechanism designed to allow temporary migration access for selected middle-skilled occupations where workers are considered necessary to support the Government’s Industrial Strategy or critical infrastructure projects. Access to the TSL is limited to occupations supported by workforce strategies, referred to in the MAC’s review as “Jobs Plans”, which set out how sectors intend to increase training, recruitment and retention and make greater use of the domestic workforce.

The MAC’s report sets out which occupations it believes meet the Government’s criteria, while also examining how effectively employers and government have demonstrated plans to increase recruitment and training from the domestic workforce.

The MAC said assessing which jobs were linked to priority sectors was relatively straightforward compared with measuring labour shortages, which can vary by region, employer and occupation. The Committee considered evidence including vacancy levels, wages, hours worked and submissions from employers, industry groups, trade unions, government departments and devolved administrations.

The review considered 82 occupations in detail, which were identified in its first stage review. Of those 82, the MAC has now recommended 28 receive access to the TSL for 18 months. It did not recommend any occupation for full access lasting until the next planned three-year review.

As listed in chapter 3.2 of the report, the 28 occupations are:

1. Electrical and electronics technicians
2. Engineering technicians
3. Sheet metal workers
4. Metal machining setters and setter-operators
5. Metal working production and maintenance fitters
6. Welding trades
7. Boat and ship builders and repairers
8. Planning, process and production technicians
9. Metal plate workers, smiths, moulders and related occupations
10. Electrical and electronic trades n.e.c. – Overhead Line Workers only
11. Database administrators and web content technicians
12. Data analysts
13. Telecoms and related network installers and repairers
14. Building and civil engineering technicians
15. Ship and hovercraft officers
16. Pipe fitters
17. Electricians and electrical fitters
18. Bricklayers
19. Roofers, roof tilers and slaters
20. Plumbers & heating and ventilating installers and repairers
21. Carpenters and joiners
22. Construction and building trades n.e.c. – Building envelope specialists, Curtain wall installers
23. Plasterers
24. Floorers and wall tilers
25. Painters and decorators
26. Construction and building trades supervisors
27. Chemical and related process operatives
28. CAD, drawing and architectural technicians

The MAC said these occupations were selected because the evidence for current or future shortages was considered plausible, and because the Jobs Plans submitted for them were generally relevant to the identified shortage drivers, although the quality of plans varied. In some cases, the Committee said the importance of occupations to immediate government priorities, such as housebuilding and infrastructure delivery, meant temporary immigration access was considered proportionate.

According to the report, the recommended occupations represented around 4,000 visas a year on average between 2022/23 and 2024/25, compared with around 10,000 visas a year across all 82 occupations considered. The MAC noted that its recommendation would result in a relatively small reduction in migration overall, with limited expected effects on public finances, economic growth or business confidence.

In concluding, The MAC stated: “Our recommendations are defined by the framework set out to us in the commissioning letter and the government’s Immigration White Paper. In line with the commissioning letter, we have sought to be pragmatic, conscious that this is the first time this exercise has been conducted, and of the risk that high-priority sectors could be deprived of labour which stifles their growth. This led to recommending more occupations for 18-month access (28) than we would in future reviews if we received the same level of evidence and if the government continues to take the position that a credible Jobs Plan is a pre-requisite to TSL access. No occupations provided a strong enough case to merit full three-year TSL access.”

Full TSL reviews are expected every three years, with the first group of occupations subject to a further review before their 18-month access period expires. Future decisions will depend increasingly on evidence of progress, including whether workforce initiatives are delivering more trained workers and reducing long-term reliance on migration.