Following the Spring Budget 2023, the UK government commissioned Migration Advisor Committee (MAC) to undertake a Shortage Occupation List (SOL) interim assessment for the construction and hospitality sectors to tackle the country’s current labour supply pressures. As the result of the MAC’s assessment, five new construction occupations are expected to be added on the SOL in the coming months.
The SOL will include the following construction jobs:
- Bricklayers and masons
- Roofers, roof tilers and slaters
- Carpenters and joiners
- Plasterers
- Construction and building trades not elsewhere classified
The construction sector accounts for 6% of all workforce jobs in the UK with the vacancies rising increasingly in the post-pandemic economy. Stakeholder evidence collected by the MAC in their interim assessment suggests that the construction industry is keen to increase direct employment, moving away from its traditionally high self-employment rate.
The evidence and approval of the new SOL construction jobs are welcomed by both non-UK national workers, who are not permitted to take up self-employment on a Skilled Worker visa, and sponsors operating in the construction sector who find it difficult to fill vacancies from workers within the resident UK labour force.
Publication Date: 19 June 2023
