Ireland faces shortfall of 2,200 surveyors – SCSI

A new report 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, from the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), projects a shortage of over 2,200 surveyors under a median growth scenario of 2.5% Gross National Income (GNI) a year over the next four years.

If growth reaches 3.5% GNI, the shortfall of surveyors would be even worse and could reach 3,000, it cautions.

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 third-level colleges and to expand additional pathways to the profession, including through apprenticeships.

Mr Kelly said 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,” he said.

“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,” he noted.

“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,” he added.

Mr Kelly said that alternative routes such as part-time and flexible study options such as micro-credentials are very welcome.

He said the recent launch of quantity surveying apprenticeships is a very welcome initiative but added that there is a need for new geospatial, building and property surveying courses at third level.

As well as increasing the flow of graduates, Mr Kelly said the SCSI and the wider industry need to attract experienced professionals from other sectors with strong transferable skills, such as technology, legal and finance.

Today’s report is the fourth 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,” she said.

“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,” she stated.

“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,” she concluded.