100+ Highly Sought-after Skilled Jobs in the UK for Immigrants 2024
The United Kingdom is known for its abundant job opportunities and cultural diversity. It is constantly ranked among the world’s strongest economies, hosting numerous Fortune 500 companies alongside small and medium enterprises, and as a result, attracts many job seekers from around the world.
The UK welcomes skilled workers globally, providing job prospects across different sectors. Its immigration system is well-structured, allowing professionals to live and work anywhere in the UK under the Skilled Worker Visa. Those who qualify for the visa can settle in the UK and potentially become permanent residents.
If you’re applying for a skilled worker visa and you’re uncertain if your profession qualifies, then you should check the list of the jobs recognized as skilled jobs in the UK provided below. Each profession also has a minimum salary requirement that applicants must be offered to be eligible for the visa.
Levels of Jobs in the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF)
Jobs are grouped based on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), which was introduced in October 2015 to help people understand the qualifications regulated by the UK Home Office. These qualifications cover both general and vocational areas in England and vocational qualifications in Northern Ireland. These levels are grouped by their difficulty. The Skilled Worker Visa covers job levels 4 and 6 of the RQF.
To be classified at the 6th level, you need to meet one of the following qualifications:
- Degree apprenticeship
- Honours degrees, such as Bachelor of Arts (BA) Hons, Bachelor of Science (BSc) Hons
- Graduate certificate
- Graduate Diploma
- Level 6 award
- Level 6 certificate
- Level 6 Diploma
- Level 6 NVQ
- Ordinary degree without honours
For the 4th level of the RQF, you must hold one of the following qualifications:
- Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE)
- Higher apprenticeship
- Higher National Certificate (HNC)
- Level 4 award
- Level 4 certificate
- Level 4 Diploma
- Level 4 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)
Skilled Worker Jobs in the UK (Level 6 in the RQF)
Jobs at Level 6 in the RQF and their corresponding salary ranges are as follows:
| Job | Salary Range |
| Actuary, Economist, Statistician | £28,600 – £35,700 |
| Aircraft Pilot, Engineer of Flights | £33,100 – £69,600 |
| Analyst, Adviser on Finance & Investment | £22,200 – £27,000 |
| Architect | £21,600 – £32,100 |
| Archivist, Curator | £17,200 – £20,800 |
| Barrister, Judge | £20,800 – £33,700 |
| Broker | £19,800 – £44,100 |
| Chartered & Certified Accountants | £21,000 – £29,000 |
| Chartered Surveyor | £23,100 – £29,100 |
| Chief Executive (CEO), Senior Official | £41,090 – £60,000 |
| Civil Engineer | £25,700 – £31,600 |
| Conservation Expert | £18,700 – £27,000 |
| Dental Practitioner | £30,433 – £80,988 |
| Design & Development Engineer | £25,300 – £31,600 |
| Director of Advertising & Public Relations | £28,300 – £40,200 |
| Director of IT & Telecom | £42,500 – £55,600 |
| Director of Marketing & Sales | £33,300 – £49,700 |
| Director, Manager in Transport and Distribution | £25,000 – £29,200 |
| Director, Manager of Finances | £29,800 – £42,500 |
| Director, Manager of Health Services & Public Health | £25,000 – £35,200 |
| Director, Manager of Production in Construction | £25,000 – £33,200 |
| Director, Manager of Production in Manufacturing | £21,700 – £31,900) |
| Director, Manager of Production in Mining and Energy | £20,000 – £32,000 |
| Director, Manager of Purchasing | £26,800 – £35,700 |
| Director, Manager of Social Services | £23,300 – £28,400 |
| Education Advisers, School Inspectors | £20,000 – £25,800 |
| Electrical Engineer | £25,000 – £35,200 |
| Electronics Engineer | £25,200 – £31,300 |
| Engineer of Quality Control & Planning | £23,800 –£29,600 |
| Engineering Professional | £25,500 – £31,700 |
| Environment Expert | £20,900 – £26,400 |
| Expert on Business & Financial Project Management | £25,700 – £35,000 |
| Expert of Business, Research & Administration | £27,300 – £32,800 |
| Expert of Environmental Health | £23,800 – £30,800 |
| Expert of Public Relations | £18,800 – £23,600 |
| Expert of Quality Assurance & Control | £25,000 – £32,400 |
| Expert of Taxation | £19,800 – £35,300 |
| Expert of Welfare | £20,800–£23,000 |
| Financial Institution Manager & Director | £29,500 – £37,300 |
| Functional Manager & Director | £25,900 – £38,000 |
| Further Education Teaching Expert | £24,601 – £32,778 |
| Health Expert | £21,909 – £78,629 |
| IT and Telecom Expert | £21,600 – £28,900 |
| IT Business Analysts, Architects & Systems Designer | £26,500 – £34,700 |
| IT Project & Programme Manager | £31,200 – £36,000 |
| IT Specialist Manager | £27,400 – £41,400 |
| Journalist, Editor of Newspaper & Periodical | £20,100 – £25,900 |
| Lawyer | £24,700 – £32,200 |
| Legal Expert | £36,600 – £48,200 |
| Librarian | £17,200 – £19,600 |
| Management Consultant, Business Analyst | £22,900 – £30,700 |
| Manager of Advertising Accounts, Creative Director | £20,000 – £28,300 |
| Manager of Construction Projecting, Related Expert | £22,800 – £25,500 |
| Manager of Financial Accounts | £21,500 – £27,000 |
| Manager of Human Resources | £27,400 – £37,800 |
| Manager of Sales Accounts & Business Development | £25,100 – £33,300 |
| Mechanical Engineer | £27,500 – £33,000 |
| Medical Practitioner | £22,862 – £76,001 |
| Medical Radiographer | £21,909 – £78,629 |
| Midwife | £21,909 – £78,629 |
| Musician | £18,600 – £24,200 |
| Nurse | £21,909 – £78,629 |
| Occupational Therapist | £21,909 – £78,629 |
| Officer of Probation | £20,800– £29,300 |
| Officer of Urban Planning | £22,800 – £26,700 |
| Officer, Producer, Directors of Arts | £25,000 – £29,700 |
| Ophthalmic Optician | £21,909 –£78,629 |
| Paramedic | £21,909 – £31,383 |
| Pharmacist | £21,909 –£78,629 |
| Physiotherapist | £21,909 –£78,629 |
| Podiatrist | £21,909 –£78,629 |
| Primary & Nursery Education Teaching Expert | £20,800 – £38,214 |
| Production & Processing Engineer | £23,700 – £30,500 |
| Programmer & Software Development Expert | £24,000 – £32,000 |
| Psychologist | £21,909 – £78,629 |
| Quantity Surveyor | £23,400 – £30,400 |
| Research Expert in Business & Related | £20,000 – £27,500 |
| Secondary Education Teaching Expert | £20,800 –£38,214 |
| Senior Expert of Educational Establishments | £27,400 – £41,100 |
| Senior Officer in Fire, Ambulance, Prison | £37,100 |
| Senior Police Officer | £38,100 – £57,500 |
| Social Worker | £21,909 – £78,629 |
| Special Needs Education Teaching Expert | £20,800 – £38,241 |
| Speech and Language Therapist | £21,909 – £78,629 |
| Teaches, Educational Expert | £15,900 – £21,200 |
| Therapy Expert | £21,909 –£78,629 |
| Veterinarian | £25,200 – £32,300) |
| Web Design & Development Experts | £17,900 – £24,000 |
Skilled Jobs in the UK (Jobs in the RQF in the Level 4)
Jobs at Level 4 in the RQF and their corresponding salary ranges are as follows:
| Job | Salary Range |
| Actor, Entertainer, Presenter | £18,600 – £24,200 |
| Artist | £18,600 – £23,200 |
| Associate Experts of Business and Related | £17,700 – £21,400 |
| Author, Writer, Translator | £18,600 – £22,800 |
| Buyers & Procurement Officer | £20,800 – £25,000 |
| Careers Advisers, Professional Guidance Specialists | £19,600 – £23,500 |
| Chartered Architectural Technologists | £22,800 – £28,500 |
| Dancer, Choreographer | £18,600 – £24,200 |
| Designer of Product & Clothing | £19,700 – £23,700 |
| Estimator, Valuer, Assessor | £18,700 – £23,900 |
| Health Associate Expert | £16,800 – £31,383 |
| Inspectors of Standards & Regulations | £22,200 – £25,400 |
| Manager in Health Care Practice | £19,600 – £25,300 |
| Manager in Property, Housing & Estate | £19,400 – £25,400 |
| Manager in Waste Disposal & Environmental Services | £18,200 – £28,300 |
| Manager of the Office | £18,500 – £23,200 |
| Manager, Organizer of Conferences and Exhibitions | £18,400 – £22,700 |
| Manager, Proprietor in Forestry, Fishing & Related Services | £18,300 – £23,000 |
| Manager, Proprietor in Agriculture & Horticulture | £18,300 – £21,500 |
| Manager, Proprietor in other Services | £18,000 – £23,600 |
| Manager, Proprietor in Residential, Day & Domiciliary Care | £21,100 – £25,500 |
| Managers, Supervisor of Customer Services | £16,200 – £19,600 |
| Marketing Associate Expert | £18,600 – £22,100 |
| Officer of Health & Safety | £22,100 – £28,400 |
| Officer of Ship & Hovercraft | £33,100 – £51,500 |
| Protective Service Associate Expert | £22,100 – £28,700 |
| Public Services Associate Expert Civil Servant | £22,900 – 25,900); |
| Technician of Architecture & Urban Planning | £19,500 – £24,200 |
| Technician of IT operations | £18,200 |
| Technician of Medicine & Dentistry | £16,800 – £31,383 |
| Technician of Planning, Processing and Production | £19,800 – £23,400 |
| Technicians of Finance & Accounting | £21,500 – £28,800 |
| Vocational & industrial Trainers, Instructors | £18,300 – £22,400 |
Skilled Worker Jobs (Shortage Occupations List)
The UK shortage occupations list comprises jobs that employers struggle to fill with the UK citizens. As a result, they seek foreign employees who meet the requirements. The jobs on this list include:
| Manager, Director of Production In Mining And Energy | Secondary Education Teaching Expert |
| Physical Scientist | Actuary, Economist, Statistician |
| Civil Engineer | Social Worker |
| Mechanical Engineer | Engineer of Quality Control & Planning |
| Electrical Engineer | Engineering Technician |
| Electronics Engineer | Paramedic |
| Engineer of Design and Development | Artist |
| Engineer of Production and Processing | Dancer, Choreographer |
| Engineering Experts | Musician |
| IT Specialist Manager | Officer, Producer, Director of Arts |
| Analyst, Architect, Systems Designer of IT Business | Graphic Designer |
| Programmer, Expert of Software Development | Buyer, Purchasing Officer |
| Expert of IT & Communications | Repairing Job |
| Expert of Environment | Aircraft Maintenance, Related Job |
| Medical Practitioner | Line Repairer, Cable Jointer |
| Medical Radiographer | Chef |
| Health Expert | Medical Practitioner (in Scotland) |
| Nurse | Medical Radiographer (in Scotland) |
Top 10 Industries by Employment in the UK
In 2024, IBISWorld, a database specializing in industry market research provides data on the biggest employment sectors in the UK. This data showcases the top ten industries based on workforce size.
| Industry | Employment number |
| UK Supermarkets | 1,168,228 |
| UK Charities | 906,444 |
| UK Hospitals | 888,919 |
| Temporary-Employment Placement Agencies | 726,222 |
| General Secondary Education | 698,029 |
| Business Process Outsourcing Services | 678,051 |
| Construction Contractors | 637,778 |
| Direct Selling & Marketing | 600,637 |
| Full-Service Restaurants | 532,514 |
| UK Universities | 479,579 |
Best Places to Work in the UK
The UK has several top employers and below is a list of the best places to work. With the services industry making up over 80.2% of the workforce, there’s a consistent demand for a highly skilled workforce. These leading companies offer some of the highest-paying jobs in the UK and often recruit a large number of qualified graduates annually.
- Bain & Company – Management Consultancy
- ServiceNow – Enterprise Software & Network Solutions Company
- Boston Consulting Group – Management Consultancy
- Equinix – Internet Services Company
- Ocado Technology – Software Development
- Mastercard – Financial Services Company
- Google – Technology Company
- Arup – Design, Architectural, and Engineering Services Company
- Salesforce – Software Company
- Version 1 – IT Service Management Company
- Softcat – Information Technology Support Services Company
- BlackRock – Investment and Asset Management Company
- Microsoft – Technology Corporation (Computer Hardware & Software)
- Adobe – Computer Software Company
- Novuna – Financial Services Company
Perks of Working in the UK
The UK attracts immigrants from around the world due to its high standard of living, pleasant weather, and beautiful scenery. Working in the UK comes with its own set of advantages beyond these attractions. In the UK, mandatory benefits include retirement plans, pensions, vacation allowances, maternity or paternity leave, and sick leave. Additionally, employees may receive supplemental benefits such as life insurance, income protection, critical illness coverage, private health insurance, dental coverage, health cash plans, employee assistance programs, virtual GP services, and more.
Staying ahead of the curve in the UK job market in 2024 requires vigilance and strategic planning. By targeting fields poised for growth like architecture, AI, healthcare, programming, engineering, business analysis, hospitality, and creative sectors, you set yourself on a path to success. Keep honing your skills, adapting to industry shifts, and maintaining an updated CV that showcases your strengths and experiences. With dedication and strategic planning, you can position yourself as a top contender for the most sought-after roles in the UK’s job market 2024.