SOC 2020 · 2115
Social and humanities scientists
Immigration Rules Appendix Skilled Occupations from
Skilled Worker
Eligible
This occupation appears on Appendix Skilled Occupations.
Salary floor
£41,700
The general threshold, £41,700, is the higher of the two.
Shortage lists
Immigration Salary List
Listed roles carry their own restrictions — check GOV.UK.
Shortage list conditions
Immigration Salary List: only archaeologists. Listed until 31 Dec 2026.
Shortage-list jobs are below the usual skill level, so employers face restrictions such as no dependants and no salary discount. Check GOV.UK for the current conditions.
Salary the job must pay
A Skilled Worker job must pay at least the higher of the general threshold and the going rate for its occupation code.
Going rate (standard)
£40,400
General threshold
£41,700
Visa thresholds from
Minimum for this role
£41,700
Home Office going rates from
New entrants and some other cases can use 70% of the going rate, £33,400, subject to the lower general threshold of £33,400.
What this occupation actually pays
ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, full-time gross annual pay.
- UK pay for this occupation
- Going rate£40,400
- General threshold£41,700
View these figures as a table
| Percentile | Pay |
|---|---|
| 25th | £29,963 |
| 50th | £39,899 |
| Going rate | £40,400 |
| General threshold | £41,700 |
| Region | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK 2025 | — | £29,963 | £39,899 | — | — |
| East 2025 | — | — | £32,783 | — | — |
| London 2025 | — | — | £45,144 | — | — |
| South West 2025 | — | — | £32,610 | — | — |
Job titles in this code
What the work involves
Social and humanities scientists study and analyse human behaviour and the origin, structure and characteristics of language undertake research in areas such as sociology, economics, politics, archaeology, history, philosophy, literature, the arts organise the collection of qualitative and quantitative information and perform subsequent analyses.
Typical tasks
studies society and the manner in which people behave and impact upon the world
undertakes research across the humanities that furthers understanding of human culture and creativity
traces the evolution of word and language forms, compares grammatical structures and analyses the relationships between ancient, parent and modern languages
identifies, compiles and analyses economic, demographic, legal, political, social and other data to address research objectives
administers questionnaires, carries out interviews, organises focus groups and implements other social research tools
undertakes analyses of data, presents results of research to sponsors, the media and other interested organisations
addresses conferences and publishes articles detailing the methodology and results of research undertaken
Entry routes and qualifications
Entry is most common with a degree or equivalent qualification but is possible with other academic qualifications and/or relevant experience. Postgraduate qualifications may be required for some jobs.