Before you start: the Skilled Worker route now has a general salary threshold of £41,700 (you must also meet the occupation’s “going rate”, whichever is higher). The government updates going-rates using ONS earnings data; check the code for the role you’re applying for, because thresholds differ across occupations. GOV.UK
In July 2025, the Home Office increased thresholds again and added two important rules: a minimum hourly floor (£17.13) and a cap that only the first 48 hours per week can count towards meeting your annual salary. These apply across Skilled Worker bands and discount categories—sponsors can’t “inflate” pay with extreme hours. Plan offers accordingly. DLA Piper GENIECromwell WilkesMorgan Lewis
Below are 20 roles that consistently sit well above typical UK earnings (the UK full-time median was ~£37,430 in April 2024). Where helpful, I’ve noted typical mid-career bands seen across ONS and leading salary guides; exact offers vary by region, sector, and employer. Office for National Statistics+1Robert Half
1) Medical Practitioners (Hospital Consultants & Specialty Doctors)
Consultants, surgeons and many specialty doctors command six-figure packages in acute trusts and teaching hospitals. NHS pay scales plus supplements (on-call, scarcity, London weighting) keep these well above Skilled Worker thresholds. Private practice can add more. GOV.UK
2) Dentists
High earnings stem from mixed NHS/private lists, specialist work (endodontics, oral surgery) and ownership/associateships. Sponsoring practices in shortage geographies can be particularly competitive. Office for National Statistics
3) Pharmacists (Hospital & Advanced Clinical Roles)
Hospital banding, independent prescribing, and clinical specialisms (ICU, oncology) tend to pay more than pure dispensing. Integrated care systems and 7-day services add premia. GOV.UK
4) Enterprise / Solutions Architects
Architecture roles (cloud, data, security) sit at the apex of tech pay because they tie technology choices to business value and risk. Expect strong demand in finance, healthcare and the public sector. Robert Half
5) Software Engineers (Senior / Staff)
Senior engineers and staff/principal ICs (backend, distributed systems) remain premium, especially with regulated-industry experience (FinServ, HealthTech) and modern stacks (Kubernetes, Rust/Go, event-driven). Robert Half
6) Machine Learning & Data Scientists
ML engineers, LLM ops, and applied scientists who can deliver measurable uplift (fraud, personalisation, demand forecasting) see salaries climb fast—especially when paired with strong data platform skills. Robert Half
7) Cyber Security Specialists
Security architects, SOC managers, cloud security engineers and red teamers remain shortage roles. Regulatory pressure (DORA, NIS2-style controls) and board-level risk elevate pay. Robert Half
8) DevOps / Platform / Cloud Engineers
Firms pay for reliability, scalability and cost control. Skills in AWS/Azure, IaC, SRE, FinOps and zero-trust networking push bands up, particularly in scale-ups and multi-cloud enterprises. Robert Half
9) IT Programme & Project Managers
Complex multi-year transformations (ERP, core banking, EPRs in the NHS) keep programme managers on premium day-rates and salaries. Benefits spike in financial services and central government suppliers. Robert Half
10) Financial Managers & Chartered Accountants
Commercial finance leads, FP&A heads and technical accountants (IFRS 9/16/17) are well-compensated—especially in PE-backed portfolios where cashflow and covenant reporting are critical. Robert Half
11) Actuaries (Life, General Insurance, Pensions)
A classic top-earner. Risk modelling, pricing, capital and with-profits expertise command high salaries; nearly all roles clear Skilled Worker thresholds comfortably. Office for National Statistics
12) Investment & Risk Analysts
Front-office quants and risk modellers (market/credit) earn at the high end, with ESG/transition-risk expertise adding a premium as banks meet climate-risk disclosure duties. Office for National Statistics
13) Solicitors (Commercial / Corporate / Tech)
City firms and high-growth boutiques pay strongly for corporate/M&A, disputes, fintech and data protection. Regional firms with specialist seats (healthcare, construction) also pay above median. Office for National Statistics
14) Civil Engineers (Major Projects)
Design/project engineers and site-based leaders for highways, rail, water and energy infrastructure are in demand as the UK renews critical assets; NEC contract fluency helps. Office for National Statistics
15) Electrical & Electronics Engineers
Electrification, semiconductors, rail signalling and defence avionics keep salaries robust—clear Skilled Worker territory with growth in power systems and HV experience. Office for National Statistics
16) Mechanical Engineers
Process, rotating equipment and advanced manufacturing roles (pharma, aerospace, F1 supply chain) typically out-earn general averages, with chartership and safety tickets boosting pay. Office for National Statistics
17) Quantity Surveyors / Commercial Managers
Contract risk, claims, and cost control make senior QSs among construction’s best-paid—especially on civils, data centres and life-sciences projects. Sponsorship is common at larger contractors. architecturaltechnology.com
18) Product Managers (Digital)
Senior PMs who can link customer outcomes to revenue, manage complex backlogs and influence cross-functional teams attract strong pay—particularly in fintech, SaaS and health. Robert Half
19) Energy & Renewables Engineers
Grid connections, offshore wind, hydrogen pilots and battery storage create premium roles in power systems, protection and SCADA—skills that command higher bands nationwide. Office for National Statistics
20) Airline Pilots
Outside the classic “office” SOC codes, commercial pilots remain among the UK’s highest-paid licensed professionals—base salary plus allowances and seniority steps. (Recruitment cycles vary with fleet growth.) Office for National Statistics
How to maximise your 2025 offer (and meet visa rules)
Match the occupation code early. Every Skilled Worker job uses a SOC-linked occupation code with its own “going rate.” If your offer is £X but the code’s going rate is higher, you won’t qualify—even if you exceed the general threshold. Recruiters sometimes mis-code hybrid roles; double-check the code before accepting. GOV.UK
Sanity-check salary inputs. From 22 July 2025, sponsors must respect the £17.13 minimum hourly rate and the 48-hour counting cap. For example, a headline “£45k for 60 hours/week” won’t meet the test because only 48 hours can count when calculating if you hit the threshold. Cromwell Wilkes
Benchmark with real data. Use the ONS ASHE tables to see median and upper-quartile pay by detailed occupation. Then compare offers with reputable salary guides (Hays, Robert Half, Robert Walters) for sector-specific spreads, especially in tech and finance where bands move quickly. Office for National Statistics+1Hays UKRobert Half
Location matters. London and the South East tend to pay more, but regional shortages (e.g., in healthcare or heavy civils) can flip the script. Use ASHE’s regional cut to understand realistic ranges where you’ll actually live and work. Office for National Statistics
Stack credentials that pay. For the roles above, the clearest salary accelerators in 2025 are: regulated-industry experience (FS, health, defence), chartership (CEng, MRICS, FIA, ICAEW), and cloud/security certifications (AWS Pro, Azure Architect, CISSP, GIAC). Salary guides for 2025 highlight these as consistent differentiators across senior hires. Robert HalfHays UK
Negotiate total compensation, not just base. Especially in tech and finance, equity, sign-ons, car allowances, professional subscriptions, training budgets and private healthcare can be material. Check that non-cash perks are in addition to the cash salary the Home Office assesses for threshold purposes. GOV.UK
Final word
If your goal is to maximise earnings and secure sponsorship, target roles where (a) the going rate is high, (b) the code is unambiguous, and (c) skills shortages persist—healthcare, advanced engineering, cyber, cloud, data, and high-end finance/legal tick all three boxes in 2025. Always align the job title and duties with the correct occupation code, verify that the cash salary clears both the going rate and the £41,700 general threshold, and sense-check the offer against ONS ASHE and a current salary guide for your niche. Do those three things and you’ll avoid nasty sponsorship surprises—and land a package that truly reflects your value.
Reviewed by Premier FB
on
August 20, 2025
Rating:
No comments: