The UK infrastructure sector faces increasing pressure from ageing assets, stricter regulation, and sustainability demands. But an equally serious issue is emerging beneath the surface – a shortage of qualified Quantity Surveyors (QSs), with the water industry among the hardest hit.

The numbers don’t lie: A growing crisis

A number of recent reports and surveys underline the scale and severity of the shortfall of QSs and surveying skills in general:

• The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) 2025 Surveying Skills Report reveals that 87% of respondents say skills gaps are impacting their profession. More than a quarter describe the situation as “critical”.
• RICS’ UK Construction Monitor found that around half of firms reported a shortage of QSs.

In short: the skills shortage is real, it’s growing, and quantity surveying is a particular pressure point.

Why the water industry is particularly exposed

1. Infrastructure & regulation demands

The water industry is entering a major investment period (for example the upcoming AMP 8 regulatory cycle) with large programmes of work, digitalisation, decarbonisation and asset renewal. These programmes demand commercial discipline, cost-control, risk management, areas where QSs play a key role.

2. Ageing workforce

The water industry is experiencing an ageing workforce and slow inflow of younger professionals. According to the Centre for Ageing Better, one in three employees is aged 50 or older, and around 20% are expected to retire within the next decade.

3. Competition for skills

Surveying, engineering, and commercial roles are in high demand across construction, energy, water, and wider infrastructure. The water sector is competing directly with rail, renewables, and oil & gas – industries that often offer faster project cycles, higher budgets, or more visible innovation.

On top of that, many Quantity Surveyors are being drawn overseas, particularly to regions like the Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand, where major infrastructure booms and tax-free packages make relocation an attractive option. This global mobility is widening the domestic talent gap and leaving UK employers struggling to retain their most experienced commercial professionals.

4. Perception & attraction Issues

Graduates and potential entrants reportedly view water careers as “too risky” or “less glamorous”. This perception issue isn’t limited to water — construction and infrastructure roles still suffer from outdated stereotypes of being “hands-on” rather than strategic or high-value professions. As a result, fewer young people are entering the field, and according to recent LinkedIn data, the number of Quantity Surveyors in the UK has grown by just 1% in the past 12 months.

This slow growth, combined with rising demand and global competition for talent, is deepening the shortage. To reverse the trend, the industry needs to tell a new story — one that highlights purpose, innovation, and the real-world impact of working in water.

5. The changing role of the Quantity Surveyor

QSs today are expected to do more than cost-counting: risk profiling, digital tools, stakeholder management, sustainability analysis. The skillset is evolving.

How does the QS shortage affect the industry?

• Projects delayed or held back: If the commercial function is understaffed, capacity to manage contracts, procurements, variations and cost control is diminished.
• Reduced capacity & output: According to RICS and other sources, more than half of respondents say shortages are cutting capacity and output.
• Increased risk of cost overruns: Without adequate commercial oversight, cost escalation, dispute risk and poor value are more likely.
• Strain on existing staff: Remaining QSs may face overload, burnout, leading to attrition and further shortage.
• Strategic opportunity lost: With fewer QSs focused on transactional cost checks, there’s less bandwidth for strategic input (value engineering, sustainability, digital tools). The water sector thus risks missing the “step change” transformation it needs.

A call to change

Perhaps the biggest shift needed is in how people see the industry. Construction and surveying have long been unfairly branded as jobs for those who aren’t academic, for doers instead of thinkers — a “second choice” or a “less glamorous” route. It’s time to rewrite that story.

These are deeply unfair and increasingly inaccurate. The reality of a QS career now is:

• A challenging problem-solving role that influences major infrastructure, communities, and sustainability.
• A career ladder many can only dream of: from trainee to senior commercial manager to business partner.
• Transferable skills: cost control, risk management, procurement, contracts, stakeholder management—they work in water, infrastructure, renewables, globally.
• Seriously lucrative salaries: As demand outstrips supply, the commercial and QS roles command premium rewards.
• A chance to shape real-world outcomes: water for communities, resilient infrastructure, environmental compliance.

So, how do we change the narrative and make QS roles in the water industry more attractive?

Practical Steps for Change

For employers

• Promote the role clearly: Show what a QS in water actually does – contracts, cost modelling, supply chain management, digital tools, sustainability, asset life-cycle cost.
• Early careers engagement: Work with schools/colleges to highlight surveying and commercial roles as viable and prestigious.
• Apprenticeships & training routes: Offer graduate schemes, apprenticeships specifically for QS/commercial roles, ditch the “only university degree” barrier.
• Diverse entry points: Level-entry, career changers, people from non-traditional backgrounds.
• Flexible working and development: Provide clear progression, mentoring, exposure to exciting projects.
• Employer branding: For water companies emphasise “purpose” (clean water, climate resilience, community impact) to attract young talent who want meaningful work. The water sector’s narrative is a strong one if built well.

For the Water Sector Specifically

• Embed commercial roles early in water programmes: Don’t treat QSs as bolt-on—make them integral from day one of a water project.
• Targeted recruitment for QS in water: Recognise that water has its particular demands (asset heavy, regulatory heavy, sustainability heavy) and tailor recruitment accordingly.
• Raise the profile of water as a career: Use case studies, highlight major investment periods (e.g., AMP 8) and the opportunity to work on high profile water infrastructure.
• Cross-sector mobility: Offer pathways for candidates from construction/infrastructure into water QS roles—help bridge the gap.
• Retention focus: Recognise that the water industry must keep the talent it already has, through development, recognition, job satisfaction.

Struggling to hire Quantity Surveyors?

If you’re finding it difficult to attract or retain skilled QS professionals, we can help.

At Alexander Associates, we’ve been connecting skilled professionals with leading employers across the UK water industry for over 25 years. From civil engineering roles in utilities to opportunities in sustainability and digital transformation, we specialise in helping candidates find careers that make a lasting impact – and helping employers build the teams that drive progress.

Contact us to discuss tailored recruitment strategies and how we can connect you with the right talent to meet your project needs.