Bakers and flour confectioners (SOC 5432) does not currently qualify for UK Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. It is classified as medium skilled and would need to be added to the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage Occupation List before employers could sponsor for it. There are closely related roles that do qualify, listed further down.
Bakers and flour confectioners prepare and bake dough, pastry and cake mixtures and make and finish flour confectionary products by hand.
There are no formal academic entry requirements. Training is typically received on-the-job or by apprenticeship. Apprenticeships and traineeships leading to NVQs/SVQs or equivalent qualifications at levels 2 and 3 are available.
UK market salary · ASHE 2025
How visa salary requirements compare to what employers pay.
Most bakers and flour confectioners in the UK earn between £25,896 and £33,592 in basic pay. For Skilled Worker visa holders, the minimum salary (going rate) for this role is £33,400 (SOC 5432), sitting at the 74th percentile of what UK employers pay and £4,956 above the median. Since this falls below the general salary threshold, sponsors must pay at least £41,700.
All figures are before tax. Calculate your take-home pay.
SOC 5432 is classified as medium skilled but does not currently appear on the Immigration Salary List or Temporary Shortage List, so it's not currently eligible for new sponsorship.
If you're interested in this field, you have a few options:
Not under SOC 5432. Bakers and flour confectioners is classified as Medium Skilled, which doesn't meet the requirements for Skilled Worker sponsorship right now. That said, some closely related occupation codes in the same field are eligible, so have a look at the related codes section on this page.
SOC 5432 covers a range of bakers and flour confectioners roles, including: Bakers (excludes food process bakery workers and textile manufacturing), Cake decorators and designers, Bakers and flour confectioners not elsewhere classified.. Keep in mind that the Home Office matches jobs by duties rather than title alone. Two roles with the same title can fall under different SOC codes depending on the actual work involved.
SOC 5432 itself doesn't qualify, but that doesn't mean you're out of options. The most common workaround is finding a closely related role that falls under an eligible SOC code. We've listed any eligible alternatives further up this page. It's also worth looking into visa routes that aren't tied to a specific occupation, like the Global Talent visa, Graduate visa, or High Potential Individual visa.
This information is provided as guidance only and should not be treated as legal advice. Eligibility criteria and salary thresholds are based on the latest published government data. Always verify with the official UK government guidance or seek professional immigration advice.