The 2026 Built Environment Forecast:
From "Hold" to "High Growth"
Why the Construction & Property market in East Anglia is moving from survival to selective growth.
By Andrew Childerley – Built Environment Specialist (East Anglia & Home Counties)
If 2025 was the year of "wait and see," 2026 is shaping up to be the year of intent.
Last year was undeniably tough. We saw uneven demand and cautious decision-making across the board. However, the latest data signals a definitive industry-wide shift. We are moving away from a defensive holding pattern toward a period of selective growth.
In a major annual survey of recruitment leaders, pessimism has more than halved - dropping from 22% last year to just 10% today. Optimism is back, with 84% of leaders explicitly expecting sales growth in 2026.
This isn’t just blind hope; it’s a "productivity recovery." The gap between the recruitment firms who wait for the market and those who make the market is widening.
For the Built Environment—specifically Construction, Property, and Surveying—the outlook is incredibly bullish but comes with a distinct warning.
According to the 2026 data, Construction is projected to be a key driver in growth, with 93% of leaders in the sector expecting growth. This outpaces almost every other sector.
However, it is also ranked as the third most difficult sector for recruiters to develop business. What this means is the demand for Quantity Surveyors, Project Managers, and Planners is returning, but the market is "high friction." The "easy" hires are gone. We are entering a phase where finding the right talent (not just any talent) will be the primary challenge for employers in East Anglia, Herts, Essex, and Beds.
This also aligns with wider industry data from the ONS, which has consistently reported a shrinking construction workforce, and RICS surveys highlighting the chronic shortage of qualified surveyors.
In the recruitment world, one of the most significant shifts for 2026 is the death of "volume sourcing". In 2025, the market was flooded with noise. In 2026, the challenge isn't finding candidates; it's filtering them.
- The Decline of "Social Hunting": Sourcing via social channels has plummeted in popularity by 52 percentage points as the industry moves away from the "noise" of manual searching.
- The Power of a recruiter network: The highest ROI for finding talent is now the existing candidate databases and honed relationships. In a recent report from a leading CRM provider identifying a 80% positive ROI from their client base alone.
- What this means is the best candidates—the Senior PQS, Architects or Chartered Surveyors — are no longer responding to AI generated cold LinkedIn blasts. They’ve become generic and they are already known to specialist networks. They are now in the "hidden market," waiting for the right conversation, not just any job alert.
Technology vs. The Human Touch
There is a lot of noise about AI and undoubtably more to come. Some good, bad and indifferent, but the data confirms that in specialist sectors like ours, human connection is the premium.
While 50% of agencies are using AI to automate admin (like CV parsing), the primary focus for 2026 is conversation and communication (54% priority).
In the Built Environment, where technical nuance matters, AI cannot replace a specialist's insight. The trend is to use technology to kill the admin so we can increase the "Time to Talk".
The Outlook for East Anglia & The Home Counties
For Employers:
- The "Wait" is Over: With 93% of the sector expecting growth, your competitors are planning to hire. If you are still holding off for "perfect conditions," you will miss the talent window.
- The Leadership Gap: Data shows that Directors on the front lines are significantly more optimistic (67%) than CEOs (48%). Trust your hiring managers—they are seeing the green shoots on the ground before they hit the boardroom reports.
For Candidates:
- You Are in Demand: The pessimism of 2025 is gone. If you have been sitting tight in a role you've outgrown, 2026 is the year to look.
- Relationships Matter: Agencies are focusing on their existing networks and referrals (55% popularity). Ensure you are speaking to a specialist who knows the local market, not just applying to job boards.
Conclusion
2026 is not about a "boom" that lifts everyone equally; it is about selective growth. Whether you are looking to build your team or find your next career role, the opportunity is there—but it requires intent.