The built environment – spanning Consult, Construct, and Maintain phases – is the backbone of our cities and infrastructure. Each stage is crucial. Bridging these phases ensures continuity and success in projects. It’s also never been more important: the UK’s facilities management (FM) sector alone is worth over £35 billion and grew 4.1% in 2024, with a further 3.2% growth forecast for 2025. At the same time, the construction and operation of buildings contribute around 40% of carbon emissions globally – a sobering reminder of the environmental stakes. In 2025, as businesses pursue net-zero goals and digital transformation, they face acute skills shortages across FM, construction, and sustainability roles. Connecting consultative planners, construction specialists, and maintenance professionals, is key to overcoming these challenges.

Consult: Laying the Foundations in the Built Environment

The Consult phase – planning, design, and advisory – is where projects take shape long before ground is broken. Roles like architects, building services engineers, project managers, and ESG (environmental, social, governance) consultants set the vision and strategy. The UK’s commitment to net-zero by 2050 means early decisions on design and materials have long-term impacts. Facilities and workplace strategists are now incorporating carbon reduction and wellness into the blueprint of buildings, not as afterthoughts.

However, finding talent for these emerging needs can be tough. There’s a well-documented “green skills” gap – over 27% of UK employers report a shortage of candidates with the right sustainability skills for new roles. At the same time, technology is reshaping this phase: digital tools like Building Information Modeling (BIM) and digital twins are commonplace, and data analytics guide decisions. Companies need consultants who are not only technically proficient but also fluent in smart building tech and data-driven planning. The consultative stage sets the tone for everything that follows, so recruiting the right professionals – those who can blend innovation with practicality – is critical.

Construct: Building the Vision Amid Challenges

The Construct phase is where plans turn into physical reality – the domain of engineers, construction managers, tradespeople, and contractors. This stage quite literally builds our future. Yet the construction sector in the UK is facing unprecedented recruitment challenges. According to the Office for National Statistics, there are over 35,000 job vacancies in construction, and over half of these can’t be filled due to skill shortages, the highest rate of any UK sector. This shortage spans from skilled trades (like electricians and plumbers) to site managers and civil engineers. It’s a pressing issue: without enough “brickies, sparkies, and chippies,” as the Chancellor noted, Britain’s ambitious housing and infrastructure goals are at risk.

These talent gaps coincide with growing pressure to improve productivity and sustainability on-site. Construction methods are evolving – from modern methods of construction (prefabrication, modular building) to the use of drones and robotics for project monitoring – requiring new skill sets. Moreover, the industry’s environmental impact is under the spotlight. Buildings and infrastructure construction account for a significant share of emissions; in the UK, the built environment is directly responsible for about 25% of total greenhouse gas emissions (rising to 42% when including transport). Globally, building operations (heating, cooling, lighting) account for ~28% of emissions, with another ~11% from construction materials and processes. This means construction professionals now need fluency in sustainable construction practices – from low-carbon materials to energy-efficient site management – to meet green standards.

For employers, bridging the consult and construct phases is essential. When design teams and construction teams understand each other, projects avoid costly missteps. In recruitment, this translates to valuing candidates who can collaborate across disciplines (e.g. engineers who work closely with designers to value-engineer solutions). By hiring with an eye on both technical proficiency and communication skills, businesses ensure the brilliant plan conceived in the consult phase isn’t lost in translation on the job site. The goal is to assemble construction teams that not only can build to spec but also adapt and problem-solve – keeping projects on time, on budget, and aligned with the original vision.

Maintain: Managing and Enhancing What We’ve Built

Every building or infrastructure project lives on long after construction crews have left. The Maintain phase – encompassing facilities management, operations, and maintenance – is where ongoing value is realised. Facilities managers, maintenance engineers, property managers, and sustainability officers are the unsung heroes who keep our hospitals running, offices comfortable, and campuses safe day-to-day. This sector is huge and growing. Outsourced facilities management in the UK is a £35+ billion market, expected to continue expanding amid stable economic conditions. In fact, outsourcing FM services remains a key strategy for companies to access specialised expertise and drive efficiency.

Yet facilities management is also grappling with a talent crunch. A 2025 industry survey revealed 80% of FM teams are understaffed, and nearly one in four organisations said they are “significantly” understaffed. This shortage comes just as FM’s role is expanding. Today’s facilities managers are not just caretakers of buildings; they are strategic partners in driving employee wellbeing, productivity, and sustainability. Many organisations are turning to smart technologies to cope – the sector has seen an influx of IoT sensors, building management systems, and AI-driven analytics to optimise everything from energy use to predictive maintenance. Over half of FM professionals now rate digital transformation as a “highly important” priority for their business. The integration of AI and automation into FM services is accelerating, with enormous potential to streamline operations and enhance user experience. For example, AI can automate routine tasks and flag maintenance issues before they escalate, while data analytics help tailor workplaces to occupant needs.

Sustainability is another driving force in the maintain stage. Facilities teams are on the frontline of organizations’ climate action – managing energy, waste, and water usage of buildings. Encouragingly, 75% of facilities management companies say they’re on track to reach net-zero by 2050, showing the sector’s strong commitment to sustainability goals. Achieving this will require new expertise in areas like energy management, retrofitting older buildings, and sustainable procurement. It will also require closer collaboration with the consult/design phase (to ensure new projects are handed over with clear sustainability guidelines) and with the construction phase (to understand the as-built conditions and materials of facilities). Thus, recruitment in FM now often looks for hybrid skill sets – a facilities manager who is comfortable analysing data, or a maintenance engineer trained in energy efficiency can be worth their weight in gold.

Bridging the Gaps for a Sustainable Future

Bridging Consult, Construct, and Maintain isn’t just a catchy phrase – it’s a necessity for today’s built environment projects. Siloed thinking is giving way to integrated strategies. When you bring together visionary consultants, skilled constructors, and diligent facilities managers, you create a feedback loop that benefits everyone. Designers can learn from maintainers about what really works long-term (informing better designs), construction teams can execute more effectively with clear direction from day one, and facilities teams can operate buildings that were designed with their needs in mind.

For businesses facing rapid change, this holistic approach is especially valuable. Technology and sustainability trends are blurring the lines between project stages. A decade ago, a project might be considered “done” at handover, but now the whole lifecycle is the focus – from life-cycle carbon foot printing to continuous improvement via user feedback and building performance data. In practical terms, this means recruiting talent that is adaptable and collaborative. It might mean hiring a project manager with an FM background to ensure the operational perspective is considered during construction, or placing an energy specialist in a design team.

The talent shortages in construction and FM make it even more important to cast a wide net and attract the next generation into these careers. Industry and government initiatives are ramping up training – from new technical colleges and apprenticeships to up skilling programs – to produce 60,000 more construction workers by 2029. Companies can do their part by articulating clear career paths and embracing diversity in recruitment, tapping into half the population that’s underrepresented (for instance, women comprise only ~14% of construction industry roles) – broadening the talent pool in both demographics and skills.

By aligning talent strategy with project strategy, businesses can deliver projects that are not only on time and on budget, but also resilient, innovative, and sustainable for years to come. In an era when built environment recruitment is both challenging and critical, adopting this joined-up approach is the best way to build a stronger future – from the first sketch to the last light switch turned off at night.

Sources:

• CBRE UK, Facilities Management Trends 2025 cbre.co.ukcbre.co.uk – Industry outlook citing Frost & Sullivan on UK FM market size and growth, and discussing the acceleration of AI and tech in FM.

• CIOB, Climate Change and Sustainability ciob.org – Chartered Institute of Building on the percentage of global carbon emissions from building construction and operations (approximately 40% globally).

• Historic England, Heritage Counts – Built Environment Emissions historicengland.org.uk – Data from UK Green Building Council showing the built environment’s share of UK greenhouse gas emissions (25% direct, 42% including transport).

• HM Treasury (via GOV.UK news) gov.uk – Statement on construction sector skills shortage with 35,000+ vacancies and over half unmet due to lack of skills (ONS data, March 2025).

• SFG20 Facilities Management Report 2025 (via PBC Today) pbctoday.co.uk – Survey finding 80% of FM teams understaffed and 24% significantly so, highlighting the FM talent gap.

• Indeed Hiring Lab – Green Skills Survey 2024/25 (via Onrec) onrec.com – Finding that 27% of employers report a shortage of skilled candidates for sustainability-related jobs, evidencing the green skills gap.

• IWFM Sustainability Survey 2024 (via IWFM/TwinFM) twinfm.com – Reporting 75% of FM organizations on track for net-zero 2050, indicating sustainability integration in FM strategy.

• IWFM Megatrends Report (via TwinFM) twinfm.com – Emphasizing the importance of embedding sustainability and ESG in business strategy in line with the UK’s 2050 net-zero goal.

• HM Treasury Plan for Change announcement gov.ukgov.uk – Government initiative investing in training 60,000 more construction workers by 2029 to alleviate skill shortages and build 1.5 million homes.