- Ireland facing a shortfall of 2,200 surveyors over the next four years
- New President of SCSI says addressing the shortage of surveyors, and other skills shortages generally in the industry, must be a priority to ensure delivery of key infrastructural projects
- “We’ve identified a mid-tier gap, so as well as increasing the flow of graduates, we need to attract experienced professionals from other sectors such as technology, legal and finance”
Tuesday 9th June 2026: The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) has warned that the country is facing a major shortage of qualified surveyors across the property, construction and land sectors over the next four years.
The report entitled ‘Employment Outlook for the Surveying Profession 2026 – 2029’ projects a shortage of over 2,200 surveyors under a median growth scenario of 2.5% Gross National Income (GNI) per annum over the next four years. If growth reaches 3.5% GNI, the shortfall of surveyors would be over 3,000 surveyors.
The new President of the SCSI, Tomás Kelly, said the figures showed the urgent need to continue to ramp up the enrolment of surveyors in our third-level colleges and to expand additional pathways to the profession, including through apprenticeships.
“The findings demonstrate persistent and, in some cases, widening shortages notwithstanding many positive awareness initiatives and an overall large increase in educational enrolments on surveying programmes since the first of these reports was published in 2014. Although the number of students currently enrolled on surveying programmes has increased significantly – it now stands at 2,382 – these figures are showing an annual shortage of circa 23% as demand has continued to grow.”
“Under all scenarios of the research, supply is projected to fall short of demand, with shortages particularly acute at graduate and mid-career level. Legacy gaps arising from the 2008-2013 economic downturn continue to affect the availability of experienced surveyors, placing pressure on mentoring capacity, which is essential for leadership development and succession planning.”
“Addressing the shortfall of surveyors identified by the report – as well as additional skills shortages in other professions and trades – must be a priority for government and the industry to ensure the delivery of key infrastructural projects and the National Development Plan.”
With regard to quantity surveying, Mr Kelly said alternative routes such as part-time and flexible study options such as micro-credentials are very welcome. The recent launch of quantity surveying apprenticeships is a very welcome initiative for which the SCSI acknowledges the support shown by Government agencies and looks forward to them being expanded. Additionally, there is a need for new geospatial, building and property surveying courses at third level.
He said that, in addition to increasing the flow of graduates, the SCSI and the wider industry need to attract experienced professionals from other sectors with strong transferable skills, such as technology, legal and finance, who are looking to pivot their career.
“For example, there may well be opportunities for people employed in the technology sector to transition to new careers in property, land or construction. Digital competence, data-driven decision-making and emerging tools, such as AI, drones and sensor-based measurement, are no longer optional; they are integral to any future-ready practice. With the right training, these tools will enhance professional judgement, not displace it.”
Addressing the wider skills gaps in the industry, Mr Kelly notes that it is one of the 30 actions in the ‘Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce Report and Action Plan’. “The strong work of the Taskforce needs to be fully supported by all arms of National and Local Government and continue at pace. Of particular importance is regular updates to the market on the project pipeline in terms of funding and timeline for coming to the market. As noted in the Taskforce Report, uncertainty around funding and project pipelines undermines confidence and lack of clarity discourages investment in skills and capacity.”
This is the fourth report commissioned by SCSI in the series by Dr Róisín Murphy, who is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Apprenticeship at TU Dublin.
Dr Murphy said there was widespread agreement on what the key skills requirements are and the benefits to young surveyors of being office-based.
“The foremost skill requirements across all surveying pathways are transversal skills – also known as soft skills; such as communication, collaboration, interpersonal relations, leadership and critical thinking.”
“Survey respondents identified the need to prioritise the development of transversal skills, particularly for students whose learning experience through Covid may have had limited or reduced ‘in-person’ interaction. Such highly transferable skills will allow professionals to adapt to changing societal and sectoral demands”
“They also believe that increased time spent in an office-based setting for peer-to-peer interaction and knowledge absorption is considered crucial for young surveyors and suggest that further emphasis be put on transversal skill development during third-level education.”
SCSI Presidency
A native of Wexford but living in Galway, Mr Kelly is a long-standing member of the SCSI and has held a number of senior roles in the organisation, including Chair of the Quantity Surveying Professional Group and of the Western Committee. Married with two grown-up daughters, he has worked for AECOM for almost 30 years.