Hong Kong surveying profession faces talent and digital skills challenges, RICS research finds

RICS' Surveying skills report 2026 highlights the importance of retaining experienced professionals, strengthening career development pathways and preparing Hong Kong's surveying workforce for emerging technologies.

Hong Kong's surveying profession is facing a changing skills landscape, with shortages of experienced professionals, increasing technological demands and pressure on business costs emerging as key challenges, according to findings from RICS' Surveying skills survey 2026. The survey ran from June to August 2026 and gathered 3,698 responses from surveying professionals worldwide.

While the global report presents findings across five broad regions, the Hong Kong results draw on responses from 162 Hong Kong-based professionals to offer a more focused perspective on local workforce challenges, professional development and emerging skills priorities, providing insight into the skills needed to support the future development of the local profession.

Skills shortages are affecting quality and efficiency

More than half (54%) of Hong Kong respondents described the impact of surveying skills shortages on their organisations as either critical or moderate. Notably, 27% considered the shortage critical compared with 19% globally, suggesting a greater level of concern among Hong Kong respondents about the severity of skills shortages.

The consequences of these shortages also differ from the global picture. In Hong Kong, just under half of respondents indicated that skills shortages were putting pressure on organisations to meet the highest standards of work (49%), increasing costs and inefficiencies (45%) and limiting the time or resources available to upskill existing staff (38%). Globally, respondents were more likely to identify reduced work capacity (55%) and limited resources for staff development (50%) as the main consequences of skills shortages.

These findings suggest that Hong Kong's skills challenges extend beyond workforce capacity, with potential implications for professional service quality, operational efficiency and the ability of firms to respond to changing industry demands.

Retaining experienced professionals remains a key challenge

The shortage of mid-career and experienced professionals emerged as the most frequently identified driver of skills gaps in Hong Kong, cited by 54% of respondents. This mirrors a wider global concern, with 60% of respondents worldwide identifying the same challenge.

However, Hong Kong respondents also highlighted the growing pressure to keep pace with changing professional requirements; 38% identified technological change outpacing training as a contributing factor to skills shortages, notably higher than the global figure of 25%. Retention challenges were cited by 32% of Hong Kong respondents, while 28% pointed to shortages of early-career professionals and new entrants.

The findings suggest that addressing workforce shortages requires not only attracting new entrants, but also retaining experienced practitioners and ensuring that existing professionals can continue developing their skills. Strengthening opportunities for continuous professional development, mentorship and career progression could help support the profession's long-term workforce capabilities.

Digital transformation is reshaping future skills requirements

As artificial intelligence (AI), automation and digital technologies become increasingly relevant to professional practice, Hong Kong respondents recognised the importance of developing new capabilities alongside traditional surveying expertise.

Looking ahead to the next three to five years, 47% identified data analytics, digital tools and advanced technologies among the most important skills for the profession. Critical thinking and learning agility were similarly prioritised by 47%, followed by communication, collaboration and stakeholder management (44%) and risk management, assurance and mitigation (39%).

These findings reflect a growing recognition that future surveying professionals will need to combine technical expertise with digital capabilities, sound professional judgement and strong interpersonal skills.

With technology evolving at an unprecedented pace, keeping up with emerging developments presents an ongoing challenge for professionals across all 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 backdrop, fewer than one in five Hong Kong respondents considered themselves well or very well prepared to work effectively with generative AI, AI analytics or AI-driven workflows. This is broadly consistent with the global findings, where only 15% reported feeling well or very well prepared. When asked about their AI-related training needs, 53% of Hong Kong respondents selected workflow improvement using technology as their primary training need, while 45% identified practical tools and automation skills and 43% selected AI basics and digital foundations.

These findings highlight the potential value of practical, application-focused training to help surveying professionals integrate emerging technologies into their daily work effectively and responsibly.

Time and training costs remain barriers to professional development

Although respondents recognise the importance of acquiring new skills, finding the time and resources to pursue professional development remains a challenge. In Hong Kong, 44% identified a lack of time as a barrier to upskilling, while 40% cited the high cost of training. Limited learning and development opportunities were also identified by 31%.

Career progression presents further challenges. A lack of cross-disciplinary skills was the most frequently cited barrier to progression in Hong Kong (37%), followed by a lack of transparency (28%) and unclear progression requirements (27%). This differs from the global picture, where a lack of transparency was identified as the leading barrier to career progression (29%).

The Hong Kong findings suggest that, alongside technical training, greater access to cross-disciplinary learning and clearer career development pathways could help professionals adapt to evolving industry requirements.

Strengthening the talent pipeline and career pathways

The survey also explored how the profession can attract and retain talent.

Half of Hong Kong-based respondents (50%) identified good career prospects, job stability and progression as reasons for entering the profession, while 48% highlighted attractive salary and earning potential. When asked how awareness of surveying careers could be improved, respondents placed the greatest emphasis on clearer visibility of career pathways (47%) and work experience or internship opportunities (46%). Promoting salary potential (40%) and career talks or school outreach (30%) were also identified as useful approaches.

These findings suggest that improving the visibility of professional opportunities and providing practical industry exposure could play an important role in attracting the next generation of surveying professionals in Hong Kong.

The survey also explored perceptions of career development opportunities across different markets.

More than half of Hong Kong respondents (52%) selected Hong Kong SAR as offering the best overall career development opportunities, while 28% selected the Greater Bay Area, 14% the broader Greater China market and 6% international markets.

These results indicate that Hong Kong remained the most frequently selected market for career development among respondents, while the Greater Bay Area was also viewed as offering opportunities for professional growth.

Industry pressures highlight the importance of future readiness

Beyond workforce development, the survey identified wider business challenges facing surveying firms in Hong Kong.

Fee pressure and competition, alongside rising costs and overheads, were the most frequently selected challenges, each cited by 56% of respondents. Talent attraction was identified by 28%, while 23% highlighted digital tools and technology adoption.

Against this backdrop, respondents identified several strategies being adopted by organisations to address future skills shortages. Adopting AI, automation and digital tools to improve productivity was selected by 46% of respondents, while 43% highlighted upskilling existing staff.

These findings suggest that investment in workforce development and technology could play an important role in helping surveying firms respond to changing market conditions, strengthen operational capabilities and remain competitive.

Looking ahead: building a future-ready surveying profession

The Hong Kong findings highlight the interconnected challenges of workforce shortages, professional development and technological change.

While attracting new talent remains important, the survey also points to the need to retain experienced professionals, strengthen career progression opportunities and support continuous learning throughout professional careers.

At the same time, the growing importance of AI, digital technologies and cross-disciplinary capabilities suggests that the skills required of surveying professionals will continue to evolve.

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

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

About the research

The Hong Kong findings form part of RICS' Surveying skills report 2026, which examines the evolving skills requirements of surveying professionals worldwide. A copy of the full report can be found here.

RICS' Surveying skills survey 2026 was conducted between June and August 2026 in collaboration with research partner Savanta. The survey received 3,698 responses globally, including 162 from Hong Kong.

Hong Kong findings are based on unweighted responses, while global comparisons use weighted data.

Results reflect respondents' views and should not be interpreted as representative of the entire Hong Kong surveying profession.