Skills Shortage Occupations List

If the job is in a shortage occupation you can apply for a work permit without advertising the vacancy. The following UK Skills Shortage Occupation list (updated April, 2007) is the current list of occupations in shortage in the UK:

Engineering occupations

Transportation and Highways Engineers

Engineers who are required to have a transport-related degree, or a degree and at least 2 years relevant experience from a civil background in the following specialisms:

• Traffic Engineer or Transport Planner
• Highways Design Engineer or Highways Planning Engineer

Ground Engineering

Ground Engineering occupations related solely to the construction sector and not to oil/gas extraction

• Geoenvironmental Engineer
• Geotechnical Engineer
• Geological Advisor
• Geological Analyst
• Geological Associate
• Geological Engineer
• Geologist / Hydrogeologist
• Geology / Reservoir Engineer
• Geomechanics Engineer
• Geophysical Specialist
• Geophysicist
• Geoscientist
• Geosupport Engineer
• Engineering Geologist
• Ground Engineer
• Contaminated Land Engineer

Other Engineering:

• Chartered Quantity Surveyors
• CAA Licensed Aircraft Engineer
• Overhead Electricity Linesworker

Healthcare shortage occupations

Doctors:

• Salaried GPs

Dentists:

• Consultants in Dental Specialities

Consultant posts in the following specialist areas:

• Accident & Emergency
• Additional Dental Specialities
• Anaesthetics
• Cardiology
• Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Chemical Pathology
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Clinical Neurophysiology
• Clinical Oncology
• Clinical Radiology
• Dermatology
• Endocrinology & Diabetes Mellitus
• Endodentics
• Forensic Psychiatry
• Gastroenterology
• General Adult Psychiatry
• General Internal Medicine
• General Surgery
• Genito-urinary Medicine
• Geriatric Medicine
• Haematology
• Histopathology
• Immunology
• Infectious Diseases
• Intensive Care Medicine
• Medical Microbiology & Virology
• Medical Oncology
• Neurology
• Neurosurgery
• Nuclear Medicine
• Obstetrics & Gynaecology
• Occupational Health
• Old Age Psychiatry
• Opthalmology
• Oral & Maxillo-facial Surgery
• Orthodontics
• Otolaryngology
• Paediatric Cardiology
• Paediatrics
• Palliative Medicine
• Plastic Surgery
• Psychotherapy
• Public Health Medicine
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Renal Medicine
• Respiratory Medicine
• Rheumatology
• Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery
• Urology

General:

• Audiologist
• Audiological Scientist
• Clinical Psychologist
• Dietician
• Occupational Therapist
• Pharmacists
• Pharmacy Technician Higher Level (Band 5 and above)
• Pre-Registration Cytogeneticists
• Speech & Language Therapist
• Social Worker
• State Registered Scientists in Cytogenetics
• Biomedical Scientist / Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer (MLSO)
• Qualified HPC Registered Diagnostic & Therapeutic Radiographers, including Ultrasonographers

Nurses:

• Midwives
• Registered Nurse employed or engaged at Band 7 or Band 8 of Agenda for Change or their Independent sector equivalents

Registered Nurse employed or engaged in the following specialities:

• Audiology
• Sleep / Respiratory Physiology
• Neurophysiology
• Cardiac Physiology
• Operating Theatre Nurse
• Clinical Radiology
• Pathology
• Critical Care (nurses working in wards with a Level 2 or Level 3 classification)

Other shortage occupations

• Teachers – All posts in England and Scotland covering compulsory schooling
• Veterinary Surgeon