Photography by Michael Leckie
The global built environment is expanding at an unprecedented rate.
According to Architecture 2030, the world is expected to add about 2.6 trillion ft² of new floor area to the global building stock between 2020 and 2060. To put this staggering number into perspective, it's an entire New York City built every month for forty years.
The rapid transformation of the global built environment is spellbinding, but it's not magic. It results from the collective effort and expertise of many diverse human hands. From tradespeople of all skillsets to site managers and surveyors, human capital is the essential ingredient that brings these projects to life. Indeed, it is an ingredient in increasingly high demand.
The quarterly RICS Global Construction Monitors name skills shortages as a key reason for holding back projects, next to rising resource costs, cited by more than half of respondents worldwide. The most significant challenges facing the built environment today are, in many ways, products of its success.
Minding the skills gap
Fulfilling the ever-expanding demand for skills is an enormous challenge. As cited by the Trade Skills Index, the UK will need 244,000 qualified apprentices to meet workforce demands by 2032. The global picture is even more daunting, with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) highlighting the critical need for policies that support job creation and training across the construction sector worldwide: Europe alone will need another two million construction workers by 2030. These shortages are not just numbers; they are bottlenecks that delay projects, increase costs, and stifle innovation.
Training a new generation of built environment professionals is crucial, especially in achieving net zero. According to a study by JLL, there is a 70% shortage in the supply of low-carbon offices globally. As new legislation comes into place, the demand for energy-efficient and net zero-compliant property will only grow.
We need a new generation of climate-conscious graduates with expertise in renewable materials who can work according to whole-life carbon principles from the beginning of their careers. We also need these skills to tackle the global housing shortage that I wrote about in May.
The types of positions experiencing the most significant skills shortages include bricklayers, plumbers and pipefitters, electricians, and concrete workers. These roles are critical for the completion of construction projects, and their scarcity exacerbates the delays and cost overruns. In addition, there is a high demand for project managers, surveyors, and engineers, especially those who possess skills in sustainability and digital construction technologies.
One significant factor, according to a study by WTW (formerly Willis Towers Watson) study, is the generational shift: retiring baby boomers coupled with a lack of younger workers entering the industry. During the pandemic, some talent shifted away from the construction sector as individuals chose alternative career paths, a trend observed across various industries.
A solution may be found in increased automation and digitalisation, either to replace workers outright or, more usually, to increase the productivity of the available workforce. RICS will shortly publish its 2024 Digitalisation in construction report, which looks at uptake of these solutions. But new technologies require new skills: they will provide a solution in the longer term, but the need to develop sufficient qualified and experienced people means they are not a rapid fix.
“The UK will need 244,000 qualified apprentices to meet workforce demands by 2032” Tina Paillet FRICS, RICS President
Finding the next generation
We must work to inspire future professionals as early as high school. Careers in the built environment are both rewarding and sustainable, and we must make this loud and clear to young people deciding on their careers as well as their parents and guardians. It is a genuinely exciting career that increasingly uses new and emerging technologies, such as AI and drones. Developing earlier built environment qualifications worldwide, such as a GCSE for the UK's education system, would significantly raise the profile of our industry among the next generation.
We must also break down real and perceived barriers to entering the profession. Currently, around 20% of RICS members are women. This number is a significant improvement compared to just a few decades ago when it stood at just 1%.
However, it is still a low figure and indicates that we must continue to work against the perception that the industry is closed to many people. Plenty of untapped talent is waiting to join the global built environment boom – we need to inspire and welcome them.
One way to do this is through mentoring. This can be a formal arrangement, as in many apprenticeships, or an ad hoc opportunity. In either case, the provision of guidance and advice by experienced practitioners can support those in the early stages of their career to understand, contextualise and overcome challenges. This supports them to build their own experience and skills rapidly and effectively.
Supportive government but professional leadership
Governments need to fund and support more training and apprenticeships in the built environment. These will encourage individuals to pursue careers in the industry and to build skills in modern construction practices and digital technology. Incentives can be aimed at both individuals and companies to invest in training and development, for example through tax credits.
In the UK, RICS is also proposing a built environment skills task force to identify skill gaps and develop a cross-industry strategy to address shortages. This can guide investment from industry and better policy from government. The idea could work in other countries, given the international nature of the challenge.
As with so many challenges, it's also about the whole industry working together, and surveying professionals being willing to lead.
