Disruptive trends highlight industry’s need to upskill

Property needs to take more risks when it comes to recruitment than it is currently prepared to do, new research has found. A survey by Future Places Studio on behalf of the London Property Alliance found that 89% of central London property professionals believe recruitment from outside the industry would be beneficial. However, 60% of respondents think the real estate sector is not willing to take risks on people outside of the sector. The top three sectors respondents think the property sector should be hiring from were social sciences – including psychology, sociology, anthropology – (47%), engineering (45%) and product and service design (45%). Nearly two-thirds considered data analytical skills most important, followed by artificial intelligence (41%). Handling data was also the hard skill most respondents to the survey said they would like to learn or develop. The soft skill the majority of respondents want to learn was innovation (56%), followed by collaboration (41%). The most popular way to learn new skills was via short courses, according to 61% of respondents, with mentoring (58%) and half day workshops (51%) popular. In addition, 93% said they would benefit from learning more about the trends likely to impact the industry. The biggest trend facing the built environment is climate change, according to 90% of respondents, while 74% believed changing user needs will have a significant impact on the sector. “It is good to see the property industry recognising its weaknesses and seeking to take action on the underlying causes,” said Jules Pipe, deputy mayor of London for planning, regeneration and skills. “I need to be clear on one point – progress is not inevitable. Despite the best intentions of many in the sector, diversity and equality will not happen on its own. Specific action is needed.” London Property Alliance executive director Charles Begley added: “Although the property industry has made great strides in trying to attract staff from more diverse backgrounds over recent years, it is clear it needs to accelerate and intensify these efforts if it’s not going to be left behind. Recruitment from a wider range of educational, gender and ethnic backgrounds is good for both business and society.” To send feedback, e-mail louise.dransfield@egi.co.uk or tweet @DransfieldL or @estatesgazette