Bakers, fishmongers and gardeners will be needed in Northern Ireland to plug skills gaps when freedom of movement from the EU ends after Brexit, advisers to the British government have said.
Such workers should be added to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) “to relieve pressure when freedom of movements ends”, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), has said in a report.
But the MAC also warned of the “stark consequences of low wages in social care”.
The body has called for such jobs to be made “more attractive to UK workers by increasing salaries rather than relying on migrants” during the Covid-19 pandemic.
MAC said other occupations which should be added to the UK-wide list include butchers, bricklayers and welders, “where there is clear evidence of staff and skills shortages which could be filled by overseas workers”.
Bakers, fishmongers, housing officers and gardeners should be added to Northern Ireland's list.
MAC chairman, professor Brian Bell, said: “The number of migrants coming to work in the UK has already decreased and we are likely to see an increase in unemployment over the next year as the economic impact of the pandemic continues, so this has been a very challenging time to look at the Shortage Occupation Lists.
“It has made us more willing to recommend some roles for inclusion simply because it is the sensible thing to do, but we have been clear that migration is not always the solution.
“We remain particularly concerned about the social care sector, which is so central to the frontline response to this health pandemic, as it will struggle to recruit the necessary staff if wages do not increase as a matter of urgency.”
MAC has also called on devolved nations to allow additional flexibility for trades such as “fishmongers, bakers and horticultural workers for Northern Ireland, childminders and nursery nurses for Scotland and health professionals for Wales”.
MAC was commissioned to provide “independent, evidence-based advice on migration issues”.
Here are the Shortage Occupation Lists recommended by the Migration Advisory Committee for the UK, Scotland and Northern Ireland:
The UK-wide Shortage Occupation List includes:
– Health services and public health managers and directors
– Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors
– Biological scientists and biochemists
– Physical scientists (selected roles)
– Archaeologists
– Civil engineers
– Web design, programmers, software developers
– Cyber security specialists
– Medical practitioners including psychologists, vets, pharmacists, radiographers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists
– Nurses
– Paramedics
– Secondary school teachers for maths, physics, computer science and modern foreign languages
– Architects
– Social workers
– IT and laboratory technicians
– Artists
– Interpreters
– Classical ballet and contemporary dancers of certain skill levels
– Some orchestral musicians including those who play string instruments
– Graphic designers
– Meat hygiene inspectors
– Bricklayers and masons
– Fishermen
– Welding
– Electricians
– Mechanics
– Butchers
– Wardens for residential properties
– Senior care workers
The list for Northern Ireland includes:
– Bakers
– Fishmongers
– Housing officers
– Gardeners
The list for Scotland includes:
– Gaelic teachers in secondary schools
– Chemical scientists
– Housing officers
– Nursery nurses
– Childminders
– Health professionals
Health professionals are the only role listed on the Welsh shortage occupation list.
