The Shortage occupation list (SOL) is a list of occupations issued by the Government, which cannot be filled by the domestic labour market. Employers who want to recruit a worker from outside the European Economic Area for a vacancy listed in the SOL may issue a Tier 2 certificate of sponsorship (CoS) without the need to carry out a resident labour market test (RLMT).
The SOL is periodically reviewed by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and in June 2018 the Government commissioned the MAC to carry out a full review of the composition of the SOL. The MAC is now consulting stakeholders to assess which jobs are in shortage. With the idea of reviewing also the minimum skill level for Tier 2, the MAC is inviting evidence from all occupations at Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 1 and above to ascertain what national shortages there are within the UK at present.
In the uncertain context of the still ongoing negotiation for Brexit, this consultation is particularly important also for the heritage sector and the creative industries.
Consultation closes at 11:45pm on 6 January 2019.