Two Spring Budget Migration Announcements To Tackle Labour Shortages

1. Five construction occupations are to be added to the shortage occupation list:

• Bricklayers and masons;
• Roofers, roof tilers and slaters;
• Carpenters and joiners;
• Plasters and dryliners; and
• The more general category of 'construction and building trades not elsewhere classified'.

This follows the commission of a Migration Advisory Committee review of the shortage occupation list for hospitality and construction sectors (to conclude later in 2023), and the publication of an interim review report on hospitality and construction sector labour shortages today.

Adding these construction roles to the shortage occupation list will allow sponsoring companies to pay sponsored workers in the above roles 20% less than the mandatory minimum salary for sponsorship. When these changes come into effect sometime before the summer, the roles will be sponsorable at a salary of £20,960 rather than the normal minimum of £26,200. Beyond a lower salary and a slightly