LONDON, ENGLAND — The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has released a first-of-its-kind skills report that shows the profession continues to face significant and widening skills shortages, with nine in 10 surveyors reporting their area of work is being affected.
According to a release, nearly one-third of respondents describe the shortfall as “critical,” warning it is severely impacting project delivery and productivity.
Two-thirds see the shortage as “moderate” but caution that it could worsen without immediate intervention.
Building surveying and quantity surveying were areas where the most acute shortages were reported.
Some of the reasons for the shortages reported in the survey results were an aging workforce and high retirement rates with new entrants are not arriving fast enough to replace retirees.
More than half of respondents said the shortage is reducing work capacity and output, while two-fifths reported rising costs and over a quarter highlighted a slower pace of innovation across the built environment, the release reads.
However, there was a bright spot among the results in the realm of technological transformation.
Around 60 per cent were positive about AI, recognizing its potential to improve outcomes and efficiency across the sector.
Two-thirds of 17 to34-year-olds are confident about the profession’s digital future.
RICS recently released a separate report on the use of AI in construction, which revealed that whilst optimism is high, adoption remains low.
When asked about solutions to the shortage, surveyors pointed to:
- More apprenticeships and work-based learning opportunities
- Better promotion of surveying careers
- Upskilling existing professionals
- Stronger collaboration between academia and industry
“The results speak for themselves – there is an enormous demand for surveyors, and the profession is swiftly advancing with the pace of technological change,” said RICS acting president Nick Maclean in a statement.
“These are immense opportunities for both a new generation of surveyors and for existing professionals to upskill across the exciting landscape of technological change.”
