Hays salary guide 2025
Hays’ 2025 UK Salary and Recruiting Trends guide illustrates how various factors impacted the construction and property sector throughout 2024 and how they are predicted to shape the landscape in the year ahead.
Last year, the world of work presented new opportunities as well as a fair share of challenges including persistent cost-of-living concerns, economic uncertainty, changes in government, ongoing skills shortages, Artificial Intelligence (AI) developments, hybrid working tensions and more. Hays’ 2025 UK Salary and Recruiting Trends guide illustrates how these factors impacted the construction and property sector throughout 2024 and how they are predicted to shape the landscape in the year ahead.
When it comes to hiring plans, more than 8 in ten (83%) construction and property employers plan to build their teams and recruit new talent in the next 12 months, which is a slight increase on the year before (81%). However, difficulties finding the right talent is the main external challenge that over half of organisations expect to face. In terms of internal factors, talent retention (52%), skills shortages (51%) and managing change (40%) are expected to pose the greatest threat to organisations in the sector this year.
Widespread skills shortages continue to loom over the world of work and construction and property is no exception. The majority (96%) of organisations within the sector experienced skills shortages last year, rising from 93% the year before. Intermediate positions have been the most challenging roles to fill according to close to half (46%) of employers. As a result, nearly three-quarters (73%) say they are likely to hire someone who might not have all the required skills for a role, with the intention of upskilling them. As it stands, fewer people entering the job market in the industry (56%), competition from other employers (49%) and pay levels (31%) are believed to be the main causes of skills shortages in the sector. Over the next 12 months, hiring managers expect to face a shortage of suitable applicants (83%), competition from other employers (55%) and applicants with unrealistic salary expectations (54%).
Taking the wider economic climate into consideration, more than a third (37%) of construction and property employers are optimistic about the employment opportunities it may create within the next two to five years. Less optimistically, just 2 in ten (21%) professionals working across the sector have high hopes about the impact of the economy on their careers, a decrease from nearly half (46%) who said the same the year prior.
On a more positive note, almost 7 in ten (69%) construction and property professionals are currently satisfied with their salary. Over three quarters (78%) of employers increased salaries or rates of pay, by an average of 2.5% across the industry last year. Some areas saw above average increases, including a spike in social housing salaries (4.3%) partly driven by National Living Wage increases. On top of this, pay for construction roles rose by an average of 2.9% and general practice roles increased by an average of 2.8%. Whilst many organisations (77%) predict they will increase salaries once again in the next 12 months, implications from the recent budget announcement may alter planned salary changes in the year ahead.
Although AI tools and technologies could enhance the construction and property sector when used effectively and alongside the expertise and human-centric qualities of professionals, many (74%) employers do not recommend the use of AI within their workforce. Whilst even more (83%) professionals are not currently using it as part of their jobs, notably nearly two thirds (63%) would be willing to upskill or reskill to tap into AI’s potential through AI training opportunities provided by their employer; most organisations currently fall short in this area.
Despite three-quarters of construction and property professionals (76%) feeling satisfied with their current roles, well over half (59%) anticipate they will move jobs within the next year, predominantly motivated by a better salary and benefits package (35%). Other factors that are important to staff across the sector include job location, a healthy work-life balance, the prospect of a four-day week, a strong organisational purpose and a commitment to sustainability as well as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I).
Tara Page, CIAT CEO, provides insight and commentary on the AT profession in the guide.
Methodology
About the research: The survey was conducted between the 21 August – 11 September 2024 and received 10,658 responses from professionals and employers across the UK.
About the salary collection: The salary data was compiled using information gathered during 2024 from Hays offices across the UK, and is based on job listings, job offers and candidate registrations.