Singapore's surveying profession faces growing talent and skills challenges, RICS research finds

RICS’ Surveying skills report 2026 highlights the importance of attracting and retaining talent, strengthening career development pathways and preparing Singapore's surveying workforce for emerging technologies.

Singapore's surveying profession is navigating a changing skills landscape, with shortages of experienced professionals and new entrants, rising training costs and evolving technological demands emerging as key concerns, according to findings from RICS’ Surveying skills survey 2026.

Drawing on responses from Singapore-based surveying professionals, predominantly working in quantity surveying and construction, the survey provides insights into the workforce challenges facing the local profession and the skills needed to support its future development.

The Singapore findings complement the global RICS Surveying skills report 2026, which gathered 3,698 responses from surveying professionals worldwide between June and August 2026. While the global report presents findings across five broad regions, the Singapore results offer a more focused perspective on local workforce development, professional training and emerging skills priorities.

Skills shortages are placing pressure on the profession

Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Singapore respondents described the shortage of surveying skills as either critical or moderate. Notably, 42% considered the shortage critical, compared with 19% globally, suggesting a particularly high level of concern among Singapore respondents.

The findings also highlight the potential implications of these shortages for professional practice and business operations.

Among Singapore respondents who reported an impact from skills shortages, nearly two-thirds (64%) highlighted pressure on organisations to meet the highest standards of work, while 59% identified limited time or resources to train and upskill existing staff. Other concerns included reduced capacity to meet demand, increased costs and lost commercial opportunities, each identified by more than 40%.

These findings suggest that skills shortages are not only a workforce challenge but may also place additional pressure on organisations seeking to maintain professional standards, manage operational costs and respond to changing client needs.

Attracting and retaining talent is a key priority

The survey highlights challenges at different stages of the professional career pathway.

More than 60% of Singapore respondents identified shortages of both mid-career and experienced professionals and early-career professionals or new entrants as contributing factors to skills gaps, highlighting the broad-based nature of the challenge.

While shortages of experienced professionals are also a major concern globally, the challenge of attracting new entrants appears particularly pronounced among Singapore respondents, compared with 42% globally.

Retention is another important issue. More than half of Singapore respondents (55%) identified difficulties retaining skilled professionals, compared with 41% globally.

Meanwhile, 41% highlighted changes to core professional skills outpacing training, compared with 21% globally.

Together, these findings point to the importance of supporting professionals throughout their careers, from attracting new entrants and developing early-career talent to retaining experienced practitioners and helping them adapt to evolving industry requirements.

Strengthening mentorship, professional development and career progression opportunities could help address these challenges while supporting the profession's long-term workforce capabilities.

International career opportunities remain a strong attraction

Despite concerns about workforce shortages, the survey also highlights several factors that make surveying an attractive career choice in Singapore.

The opportunity to work internationally emerged as the most frequently selected reason for entering or remaining in the profession, identified by 65% of Singapore respondents, compared with 24% globally.

Attractive salary and earning potential, alongside the variety of roles available, were each selected by 58%, while 54% highlighted opportunities to work on interesting and impactful projects.

These findings suggest that the profession's international outlook, diverse career opportunities and potential for meaningful work could play an important role in attracting future talent. However, ensuring that these opportunities translate into clear and accessible career pathways remains a challenge.

Half of Singapore respondents (50%) identified a lack of transparency in career pathways or succession plans as a barrier to professional progression, compared with 29% globally.

A lack of cross-disciplinary skills or training and bias or inequality in progression or selection processes were each identified by 31%.

Improving transparency around career development, strengthening access to professional training and communicating the breadth of opportunities available could help make the profession more attractive to both existing professionals and prospective entrants.

Training costs remain a significant barrier to upskilling

Although respondents recognise the importance of continuous professional development, access to training remains a challenge.

In Singapore, 62% identified the high cost of relevant training as a barrier to skills development, compared with 40% globally.

A lack of time to complete training courses was the second most frequently cited barrier, identified by 38% of respondents.

These findings highlight the potential value of more accessible, flexible and cost-effective professional development opportunities that enable surveyors to build new capabilities alongside their existing work commitments.

Addressing these barriers could be particularly important as the profession responds to technological change and the growing demand for broader, cross-disciplinary skills.

Digital transformation is shaping future workforce development

As artificial intelligence (AI), automation and digital technologies continue to reshape professional practice, surveying organisations are considering how these tools can help address workforce challenges.

In Singapore, half of respondents (50%) identified adopting AI, automation and digital tools to improve productivity as a strategy for addressing future skills shortages, compared with 35% globally.

Upskilling existing staff was also prioritised by 42%, while 38% highlighted improving rewards and career progression, and 35% identified flexible working arrangements and organisational culture as approaches to supporting retention. These findings suggest that Singapore respondents recognise the importance of combining technological investment with workforce development and employee retention.

With technology evolving rapidly, keeping pace with emerging developments presents an ongoing challenge for professionals across major sectors of the economy, including surveying. As AI and digital technologies continue to reshape working practices, developing the skills and confidence to use these tools effectively is becoming increasingly important.

Against this rapidly changing backdrop, 12% of Singapore respondents considered themselves well or very well prepared to work effectively with generative AI, AI analytics or AI-driven workflows. Half described themselves as moderately prepared, while a further 35% indicated that they were slightly prepared. Only 4% reported feeling not prepared at all. These findings suggest varying levels of confidence in emerging technologies and highlight opportunities for continued professional development.

When asked which areas of training would help them work more confidently with AI, digital technologies and automated systems, 58% selected practical tools and automation skills.

AI basics and digital foundations, alongside workflow improvement using technology, were each identified by 46%.

These results highlight the potential value of practical, application-focused training that helps professionals integrate emerging technologies into their daily work effectively and responsibly.

Sustainability skills present further development opportunities

Beyond digital transformation, the survey also explored areas where professionals identified personal skills gaps relating to sustainability.

In Singapore, 54% highlighted sustainability-related digital tools, compared with 31% globally.

A further 42% identified sustainability rules, compliance and reporting, compared with 27% globally.

Skills gaps relating to supply chain, procurement and circularity, as well as asset operations and management, were each identified by 35% of Singapore respondents. These findings suggest that sustainability-related competencies, particularly those involving digital applications and regulatory requirements, could be important areas for future professional development.

Strengthening these capabilities may help surveying professionals respond to evolving sustainability expectations and support the built environment's longer-term transition towards more sustainable practices.

Strengthening awareness of surveying careers

The survey also explored how the profession could improve its visibility and attractiveness among school and university students.

Career talks and outreach in schools and universities, alongside greater visibility of career pathways and progression, were the most frequently selected strategies, each identified by 54% of respondents.

Promoting salary potential and job opportunities, as well as collaborating with universities to offer dedicated quantity surveying programmes, were each selected by 42%.

More work experience and internship opportunities were also highlighted by 38%.

These findings suggest that closer collaboration between employers, educational institutions and professional bodies could help strengthen the talent pipeline by providing students with clearer information about career opportunities and greater exposure to professional practice.

The survey also examined perceptions of how well the value of surveyors is understood by clients and industry stakeholders.

Around one-third of Singapore respondents felt that the profession's value was not understood at all or not very well, while 38% considered it moderately understood and 8% very well understood.

This suggests that, alongside attracting new entrants, there may be opportunities to strengthen wider awareness of the profession's expertise and contribution to the built environment.

Industry pressures reinforce the importance of workforce resilience

Beyond skills development, Singapore respondents identified several wider challenges facing surveying firms in maintaining sustainable and profitable business models.

Fee pressure and competition emerged as the most frequently cited challenge, identified by 65% of respondents, followed by rising costs and overheads (62%) and talent attraction and retention (54%).

These findings highlight the pressures facing firms as they seek to balance commercial competitiveness with the need to invest in people, training and technology.

The survey also explored the importance of immigration in addressing organisational skills shortages.

Nearly three-quarters of Singapore respondents (73%) considered immigration either very important (27%) or somewhat important (46%) in addressing skills shortages within their organisations.

This suggests that access to talent from beyond the domestic workforce is viewed by many respondents as an important consideration alongside local talent development and retention.

Together, these findings underline the importance of a multifaceted approach to workforce planning that combines talent attraction, professional development, technological adoption and access to a sufficiently broad pool of skilled professionals.

Looking ahead: building a future-ready surveying profession

The Singapore findings highlight the interconnected challenges of attracting new talent, retaining experienced professionals and ensuring that the workforce is equipped to respond to changing industry requirements.

While the profession continues to offer attractive career opportunities, including international exposure and diverse professional pathways, the survey points to the importance of making these opportunities more visible and accessible.

At the same time, the growing relevance of AI, digital technologies and sustainability-related skills reinforces the need for continuous professional development and practical, affordable training opportunities.

Addressing these priorities will require continued collaboration between employers, educational institutions, professional bodies and industry stakeholders to support the development of a skilled, adaptable and resilient workforce.

For Singapore's surveying profession, strengthening these capabilities could help maintain professional standards, support industry competitiveness and prepare surveyors for future opportunities across the built environment.

The Singapore findings form part of the RICS Surveying skills report 2026, which examines the evolving skills requirements of surveying professionals worldwide.