News Research Sponsored

Global survey reveals most in-demand skills in real estate

Employers in the real estate industry are prioritising specialist knowledge and experience as well as critical thinking according to early insights released from Macdonald & Company’s 2025 Salary, Rewards & Attitudes survey.

Teamwork and collaboration are the second most popular skills with 53.5% of hiring managers considering these important. Self-motivation follows with 49.4%, communication skills at 45.4%, and leadership skills at 8.3%.

However, the results have also revealed that the real estate industry’s hiring process has encountered some hurdles. 73.1% of hiring managers struggle to attract candidates with the necessary skills while 42.9% of employers struggle to hire quickly and efficiently. 51.4% are faced with issues surrounding salary budgets and 42.9% have trouble attracting candidates who fit the company’s culture and values.

On the other hand, 76.1% of candidates said they would apply for a job if they met 6 out of 10 requirements listed and 57.5% would still apply if they had experience in half of the requirements outlined in a job brief, suggesting a potential reason for skills shortages and gaps in knowledge.

The results suggest that the hiring process is being hindered by skills shortages, budget limitations, and challenges in finding culturally aligned candidates. This presents a significant challenge in acquiring the right people and increases competition to drive growth this year,” notes Macdonald & Company.

Salaries are changing

There has been an increase in professionals citing cost of living or inflation adjustments as the reason for their salary increase (18.5%), rather than an annual pay review, up from 16.7% in 2024, suggesting that employers continue to take cost of living pressures into account.

The number of professionals choosing a promotion as a reason for a pay rise was 10.5% with 9.6% of professionals citing ‘moving employers’ as the reason for their salary increase, close to 2024’s 9.9%, which suggests less movement between employers and more lateral salary transitions, reflecting the uncertainty the real estate industry has faced.

Benefits beyond salaries

The survey revealed key insights into overall benefit packages. The professionals selected benefits they currently receive and chose up to three other benefits they’d like their employer to offer.

‘Health and Wellness’ benefits ranked the most popular with 15.7% of professionals selecting an on-site gym or gym allowance as their preferred choice. The second most popular benefit was the ‘LTIP/Equity & Carried Interest/Share Scheme’ selected by 14.8% of employees. While share schemes are commonly offered to most senior members of an organisation, the results highlight the opportunity to reflect bonus entitlements on both the financial success of a business and personal performance.

Both ‘Car Allowance’ and ‘Healthcare’ received a percentage score of 13.2%, representing the importance of money-saving benefits and the growing demand for tailored compensation strategies. However, 16.5% of professionals said they weren’t interested in any additional benefits, suggesting that almost 2 out of 10 employees are satisfied with their overall package.