Skilled Worker visa prioritisation index

Include low-coverage occupationsShow and rank occupations below the evidence-coverage threshold

Strategic policy overlayApply a multiplier for IS-8 sector breadth and Clean Energy / Defence relevance

Forward-looking demand indicatorsBlend job adverts, projected growth, and modelled replacement demand into the score

Visa intensity20

How many Skilled Worker visas per 1,000 employee jobs

Visa share of entrants20

Visas as a proportion of visas + apprenticeship completions

Domestic pipeline response20

Whether apprenticeship starts are rising fast enough to offset visa use

Training duration20

Months to complete the relevant apprenticeship

Wage pressure20

Whether wages are rising faster than the national average

Total100

Overall weight of demand indicators

Share of the evidence score from demand indicators

Relative weights of individual demand indicators (must sum to 100):

Job advert intensity34

How many job adverts per 100 employee jobs

Projected employment growth33

Expected occupation growth 2025–2030 as a share of employment

Projected replacement demand33

Modelled replacement demand 2025–2030 as a share of employment

Total100

Maximum multiplier

Hard cap on the total overlay multiplier

Cross-sector breadth uplift

Extra multiplier per additional IS-8 sector beyond the first

Sector-specific uplifts:

Advanced Manufacturing

Clean Energy

Creative Industries

Defence

Digital and Technology

Financial Services

Foundational Industries / Critical Infrastructure

Life Sciences

Professional and Business Services

Minimum evidence coverage

Occupations with less than this share of core data observed are flagged as low-coverage