Home Office data shows a surge in applications for energy-related fields under the UK’s skilled visa programme, as local vacancies remain high.
Figures obtained from the government by law firm Eversheds Sutherland under a freedom of information (FOI) request show a sharp increase in applicants for energy-related fields, as the UK continues to pull on talent from across Europe and East Asia.
Euan Smith, a partner at the legal firm specialising in immigration, said applications for these fields had “significantly increased” in the last nine to twelve months.
Data shows major changes for the two main so-called Standard Industry Classification “SIC” codes used for the energy sector: one being ‘electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supplies’ (EGSA) and another covering mining and quarrying, which also includes oil and gas extraction.
The data does not indicate where roles are filled, nor how many visas were ultimately granted.
It marks a continuation of figures obtained last year, which showed a huge post-Brexit increase in the number of entry permit submissions, particularly from South Asia.
Permit applications for electrical engineers working with ‘power systems, controls or protection’ in the electricity industry soared 236% in the last year alone.
Just under 800 EGSA applications were in 2022, compared with 433 in 2021, while nearly 900 were made in the mining and quarrying code, from below 500 the year before.
Applications for new visas and visa extensions for electrical engineers specifically are accelerating too; in the final quarter of 2022, around 370 were lodged, compared with 126 in the same period of 2021.
Mr Smith notes: “In some respects an uptick is not surprising because we have a significant skills shortage within the energy sector broadly and because the impact of Brexit has meant people now need skilled worker visas to come from EU countries where you didn’t need a visa originally.”
Belarussian applicants soar
However other trends are evident too, with sharp changes seen in the nationality of those applying. From the second quarter of 2022 there is a huge uptick in mining and energy applications from Russian, Belarussian and US candidates, with requests surging far above those of other nations.
“I would speculate that Belarus and Russia’s long history of deep and open-cast mining might be an explanation as to why you might get people from those countries, though we don’t know,” he said.
“But it’s quite clear that they outstripped the numbers from any other country quite considerably and quite quickly.”
And while there is no corresponding Home Office data to explain the factors behind the demographic shifts, Mr Smith notes “quite an obvious correlation” between the increase and the outbreak of war in Ukraine in early 2022.
Meanwhile in the EGSA cohort, Indian and French workers remain the most prominent applicants, but there has also been a notable increase in Spanish talent looking to enter the UK.
‘Disconnect’ in energy recruitment
Mr Smith stressed that applications for energy-related visas are a fraction of those for other sectors such as healthcare, IT and finance. Given this disparity, he highlighted what he described as a “peculiar disconnect” between the available vacancies and skill shortages seen in the energy space.
© Supplied by Eversheds Sutherlan“It is a surprise to me that sectors that have such an obvious skill shortage are not, on the face of it, using visas and immigration as a way of trying to plug the gaps.”
That is despite average vacancy rates of 4.3 per 100 jobs for EGSA and 3.2 for quarrying and mining, as of the first quarter of 2023.
Mr Smith said there appeared to be “some reluctance to embrace” the skilled visa system to place talent, but that he was not certain of what is driving those sentiments.
“We would say to the industry that immigration is a viable route for you to bring people into the country to fill these vacancies.
“Other industries in the UK seem to be doing proportionately more of it than our industry is.”
He has previously called for the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to place more renewables roles on its list of shortage occupations to ease sector concerns – in addition to efforts to transfer and upskill the country’s existing talent base.
It comes as previous analysis by the likes of PwC and Robert Gordons University have warned that while job losses are likely to be minimal through the energy transition, an ageing pool of employees could create a shortfall in meeting demand for skills.
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