NAIOP Survey Provides Insight into Skills Most Important to CRE Development
Originally published on August 3, 2023, by Shawn Moura, Ph.D., for NAIOP.
Finding, training and retaining talent has grown more challenging for commercial real estate development firms in recent years. Baby boomers are gradually aging out of the workforce, increasing demand for younger workers who can take their place. At the same time, technological innovation and an evolving industry constantly shape the skills and duties that are required of commercial real estate professionals. Last year, the NAIOP Research Foundation convened the Talent Development Task Force to examine how industry practitioners and educators can work together to improve career preparation and expand the talent pipeline in commercial real estate. The Task Force recommended that NAIOP survey its members on the skills that CRE employees will need to succeed.
In June, NAIOP surveyed member developers, building owners, investors and asset managers to examine the skills and credentials that are most important to development-related professions. Survey questions were designed to capture the perspectives of both managers and non-management professionals, and to evaluate which skills are most important to early-career and mid-career professionals. The survey focused on the most important soft and hard skills, and perceptions of different types of academic degrees and nondegree credentials. Additional information about respondents will be provided in a subsequent post that discusses respondent perceptions of different degree programs and other credentials.