Update from Justin Young, RICS CEO – May 2026

The challenges facing the built environment right now, housing delivery, skills, technology, are significant. What's encouraging is the appetite for collaboration across the sector, from government, industry, and our own members.

Last month I attended the Build More Homes & New Towns Summit alongside leaders from across the built environment, representing RICS on one of the main panel discussions of the day. The focus was the UK government’s target of 1.5 million homes this parliamentary term. There is inertia in the system, and the conversation kept returning to the balance between demand for speed and volume while ensuring quality.

The skills shortage remains one of the sector's most pressing challenges, and I raised it again at the event. To deliver on this housing ambition we need to address the workforce gap. There is a real opportunity to look at reskilling from other industries, and we need to be more purposeful about widening the talent pipeline. We need to work closely with schools and universities to introduce young people to construction and surveying roles early. In the UK, this means working closely with the Department for Education. But this challenge extends beyond one market, it’s a global challenge, one our members are facing everywhere. Closing the skills gap is going to take collective effort across industry, government, and education.

Many of these themes carry through into the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF), which takes place next week. Our RICS Studio will host fifteen events across three days, and we’ve shaped the programme to bring our members together with partners and voices from around the built environment.

Among those events, the skills challenge is front and centre. Our 2025 Surveying skills report found that 68% of QS and construction professionals said the shortage is already reducing their work capacity, and 55% identified advanced digital tools as the most important future skill. Our Surveyor of the Future roundtable will explore what those numbers mean in practice for the profession. Lynda Rawsthorne, from our Governing Council and the Government Head of Property Profession, will chair a panel that brings together AI specialists, technology leaders, and early careers professionals alongside our members.

I'll also be joining our panel on the Future Homes Standard alongside policymakers, National House Building Council (NHBC), The YIMBY Initiative (TYI), and Octopus Energy to explore whether the standard is fit for the future needs of UK housing, and how developments remain viable while meeting new requirements.

Our 2025 AI in Construction report suggests nearly three quarters of firms haven't moved beyond initial discussions on AI adoption. We have organised a dedicated session to explore what's holding the sector back and what a responsible path forward looks like in practice.

Beyond UKREiiF, we continue to run the Shaping the Future Roadshow, a series of regional events built around dialogue on regulation, membership value, digital practice, and our proposed new approach to education and qualification. The goal is genuine exchange, not a one-way update. We want to hear from you on what's working, what isn't, and what needs to change.

What connects all these engagements is that the profession is navigating a period of significant change, and these aren't challenges unique to the UK. Our members across the world are navigating the same pressures around housing, skills, and digital transformation. RICS is committed to playing its part, bringing the right people together, listening to what our members need and ensuring they are equipped for the future.