What jobs are in demand in the UK?

Fewer jobs are being advertised than at any time since early 2021: about 702,000 vacancies in June to August 2026, according to the ONS. So "in demand" in 2026 does not mean a hot job market. It means particular jobs that employers still struggle to fill even while hiring has slowed.

The best evidence of that is the government's own. In July 2026 the Migration Advisory Committee reviewed which occupations are genuinely short of workers, and NHS and teaching shortages are written into the visa rules. The careers below come from those lists, grouped by sector, each with a link to its full UK guide.

702k: UK vacancies, June to August 2026 (ONS), the lowest since early 2021
28: Occupations the Migration Advisory Committee recommended as short of workers (July 2026)
15 of 21: Construction and clean-energy occupations it recommended

Construction and clean-energy trades

The largest group in the Migration Advisory Committee's 2026 review: it recommended 15 of the 21 construction and clean-energy occupations it looked at. Construction vacancies fell sharply in 2026, but qualified tradespeople remain hard to find, and most of these routes start with an apprenticeship or a college course.

Electrician (£22k - £28k to start) - On the recommended shortage list; needs a Level 3 qualification and an AM2 assessment.
Plumber (£22k - £28k to start) - On the recommended list, and the usual route into heat pump work.
Carpenter (£24k - £27k to start) - Carpenters and joiners are on the recommended list.
Bricklayer (£20k - £28k to start) - On the recommended list; a CSCS card is needed for most sites.
Roofer (£24k - £30k to start) - On the recommended list; usually learned through an apprenticeship.
Plasterer (£24k - £30k to start) - Recommended, though the committee rated the shortage evidence weaker.
Heat Pump Installer (£30k - £35k to start) - Growing with home heating targets; most installers come from plumbing or gas.
Solar Panel Installer (£28k - £33k to start) - Clean-energy installation work, often alongside electrical qualifications.
Wind Turbine Technician (£30k - £35k to start) - Offshore and onshore wind maintenance; GWO safety training is the entry ticket.

Engineering and manufacturing

Advanced manufacturing roles made up another large part of the recommended list, with welding among the occupations showing the strongest evidence of shortage.

Welder (£24k - £30k to start) - Among the strongest shortage evidence in the 2026 review.
CNC Machinist (£24k - £30k to start) - Metal machining setters and operators are on the recommended list.
Civil Engineering Technician (£24k - £30k to start) - Engineering technicians are on the recommended list; HNC or apprenticeship entry.
Telecoms Engineer (£24k - £30k to start) - Telecoms network installers are on the recommended list.
Mechanical Engineer (£26k - £35k to start) - Degree-level engineering roles are eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
Electrical Engineer (£28k - £36k to start) - Needed across energy, transport and manufacturing.

Health

Health and social work is still the sector with the most vacancies, although the number fell by 9,000 over the year to June to August 2026 (ONS). Most of these are regulated professions: you need a recognised qualification and registration before you can practise.

Nurse (£31,049 - £37,796 to start) - The NHS's largest professional workforce; Band 5 is the usual start.
Midwife (£31,049 to start) - Degree and NMC registration; NHS pay scales from Band 5.
Paramedic (£31,049 - £37,796 to start) - HCPC registered; ambulance services and urgent care.
Pharmacist (£35k - £45k to start) - Community and hospital pharmacy; GPhC registration.
Physiotherapist (£31,049 - £37,796 to start) - HCPC registered; NHS and private practice.
Occupational Therapist (£28k - £35k to start) - HCPC registered; health and social care settings.
Radiographer (£28k - £35k to start) - Diagnostic and therapeutic routes, both HCPC registered.
Speech and Language Therapist (£30k - £35k to start) - HCPC registered; NHS, schools and private practice.

Data and digital

Overall tech hiring has cooled, but the committee still recommended data analysts and database administrators as short of workers.

Data Analyst (£26k - £35k to start) - Data analysts are on the recommended shortage list.
Database Administrator (£32k - £45k to start) - Database administrators are on the recommended list.
Software Engineer (£28k - £40k to start) - Not a shortage role, but a large and steady employer of skilled workers.

Teaching and social care

Teaching shortages are concentrated in particular subjects, maths, physics, computing and languages above all. Social care has many vacancies, but since July 2025 employers can no longer sponsor new care workers from overseas.

Teacher (£30k - £33k to start) - Shortage subjects such as maths and physics carry training bursaries in England.
Social Worker (£28k - £35k to start) - Degree and Social Work England registration; councils are the main employers.
Care Worker (£24k - £27k to start) - Many vacancies; open to people who already have the right to work.
Healthcare Assistant (£24k - £27k to start) - A common first NHS job, and a route into nursing apprenticeships.

In demand is not the same as easy to get into

Most jobs on this page are short of workers because they take time to qualify for. Trades usually need an apprenticeship or a Level 3 course plus site cards. Health roles need a degree and registration with a regulator. A shortage means a qualified person will find work, not that an unqualified one will.

If you are changing career, weigh the training time against your circumstances before you commit. Our retraining calculator shows what the time out of full pay costs you and when you would be back level.

Moving to the UK?

A shortage list does not mean you can get a visa to do that job. Since July 2025 most Skilled Worker visas need a degree-level job and a salary of at least £41,700, and jobs below degree level qualify only while they are on a temporary shortage list. Our guide to jobs in the UK for foreigners explains which careers you can realistically get into from abroad.

How we chose these jobs

We used the Migration Advisory Committee's July 2026 recommendations, the government's own list of shortage occupations, and ONS vacancy data by industry, and only included careers that have a full TonyKnows guide. The committee's list is a recommendation: the Home Office decides what takes effect from 1 January 2027, so check the official list before relying on any one job.

Questions people ask

What jobs are in demand in the UK in 2026?

Skilled trades (electricians, plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers, roofers, welders), engineering technicians, health professions (nurses, midwives, paramedics, pharmacists, allied health roles), data analysts and database administrators, and teachers in shortage subjects. These come from the Migration Advisory Committee's July 2026 shortage review and the NHS and teaching shortages in the visa rules.

Is the UK job market good right now?

Not overall. The ONS estimated about 702,000 vacancies in June to August 2026, the lowest since early 2021 and 36,000 fewer than a year earlier. Demand is concentrated in specific skilled jobs rather than spread across the market.

Which in-demand jobs do not need a degree?

Most of the skilled trades: electrician, plumber, carpenter, bricklayer, roofer, plasterer and welder are all learned through apprenticeships or college courses. Data analyst roles also hire people without degrees who can show the skills.

What is the most in-demand job in the UK?

There is no single official ranking. Welding trades were among the occupations with the strongest shortage evidence in the Migration Advisory Committee's 2026 review, and health and social work has the most vacancies of any industry in the ONS data.

Does a job being in demand mean I can get a UK visa for it?

No. Most Skilled Worker visas now need a degree-level job paying at least £41,700. Jobs below degree level only qualify while they are on a temporary shortage list, and the current list ends on 31 December 2026. Check gov.uk for the rules that apply to you.

Not sure which of these fits you?

A good career test narrows the field before you spend money on training, a course or a move.

Find the right career test

General information, not immigration advice. Facts last checked October 2026; check gov.uk before you make plans.