Skills shortages are limiting the surveying profession’s capacity to meet demand, whilst a gap in AI preparedness risks holding back opportunities to improve productivity, according to new research from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
The Surveying skills report – UK snapshot, published in November 2026, found that 50% of UK respondents report skills shortages having a critical or moderate impact on their organisations.
Among respondents identifying how shortages affect their work, 63% report reduced capacity to meet demand. With activity broadly flat, the findings raise concerns about the profession’s ability to support a significant increase in housing and infrastructure development.
Technology could help strengthen capacity. Some 30% select AI, automation and digital tools among their organisation’s top three approaches to preparing for future skills shortages. However, 58% of respondents feel unprepared or only slightly prepared to work effectively with generative AI, AI analytics and AI-driven workflows. Just 12% feel well or very well prepared. Given the speed of technological change, this is unsurprising.
The findings highlight a potential barrier to progress: whilst AI offers opportunities to improve productivity, professionals need training to use it effectively. Yet 55% of respondents identifying the effects of skills shortages say these pressures leave limited time or resources to train and upskill existing staff.
James Garner FRICS, Head of AI and Data at Gleeds, comments in the report: “AI must become a core, formally assessed part of surveying education. The profession’s future depends on it.”
Garner also argues that too many universities discourage students from using AI rather than teaching them to use it responsibly.
The report makes clear that technological capability must sit alongside wider professional skills. Communication, collaboration and stakeholder management, and critical thinking and learning agility, are each selected by 47% as among the three most important skills over the next three to five years, ahead of data analytics, digital tools and advanced technologies at 44%.
A shortage of mid-career and experienced professionals is the most commonly identified driver of skills shortages, cited by 62% of respondents answering that question. Shortages of early-career professionals and new entrants follow at 47%, alongside retention challenges at 43%.
Upskilling current staff is the most frequently selected approach to preparing for future shortages, chosen by 42% of industry respondents, underlining the importance of developing the existing workforce alongside recruiting new talent.
Justin Young, Chief Executive of RICS, said: “Surveyors are essential to delivering the homes and infrastructure the UK needs. These findings show that skills shortages are already restricting capacity, whilst also squeezing the time available to train and develop staff.
“AI offers opportunities to improve productivity, but adopting technology requires investment in people. We need to equip surveyors to use these tools responsibly, combining digital skills with the professional judgement clients rely on.
“That means bringing new talent into surveying, retaining experienced professionals and supporting learning throughout their careers. To meet these challenges, RICS is modernising routes to membership, developing professional pathways in Sustainability Advisory and Data Analytics and Intelligence, and adapting training and continuing professional development to emerging demands.”
