Digital Construction Is Changing Hiring. Are Employers Looking for the Right Skills?

Construction companies are investing in smarter software, digital planning and increasingly sophisticated modelling tools.

But having the technology doesn't necessarily mean having the people who know how to use it effectively.

And that's becoming a bigger consideration for employers as digital construction changes what different roles involve.

The RICS Surveying Skills Report 2026 gives us an interesting picture of where the industry is heading.

44% of UK surveying respondents ranked data analytics, digital tools and advanced technologies among the most important skills for the next three to five years. Yet 47% prioritised critical thinking and learning agility.

For Construction recruitment, those findings raise an important question.

Are employers changing what they look for in candidates, or simply adding more software requirements to the same old job descriptions?

What Digital Construction Skills Do Employers Actually Need?

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is probably the most familiar example of digital construction, but things have moved well beyond 3D models.

Digital planning, connected cost information, shared design platforms and automated reporting are all changing how project teams work.

Take a project where design changes are shared digitally, cost information is linked to the latest drawings and progress updates are available across multiple teams.

There's far more information available to help people make decisions. But employers need to understand who will be responsible for using it.

A Project Manager might need to work confidently with digital progress reports. A Quantity Surveyor might be expected to check model-based quantities. A Design Manager could be responsible for coordinating information between several disciplines.

Those requirements aren't interchangeable, even if all three vacancies mention BIM.

And that's where recruitment briefs can start to become complicated.

AI Is Creating New Questions for Construction Recruitment

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also finding its place in construction, with potential applications across scheduling, cost analysis, document reviews and project risk management.

The industry is still working out how to use it effectively, though.

According to the RICS AI in Construction 2025 report, 46% of respondents worldwide identified a lack of skilled personnel as one of the biggest barriers to AI adoption.

So what should employers actually be looking for?

Someone with experience using AI-assisted cost analysis might be useful on a commercial team. But it's worth finding out how they've used it. Were they checking the outputs, identifying discrepancies or using the information to support decisions?

There's also the question of how much AI experience businesses can reasonably expect candidates to have while adoption is still developing.

Adding 'AI proficiency' to a job advert might look forward-thinking, but it won't be particularly helpful unless the employer can explain what that means for the position they're filling.

Which Construction Roles Are Changing?

Digital technology is changing different roles in different ways. Here's how that might translate into the experience employers look for.

These aren't universal requirements. A lot depends on the type of project, how the team operates and which systems are already in place.

And for commercial positions in particular, the timing of recruitment can be just as important as the skills being recruited. We've previously explored what happens when Construction employers bring commercial teams in too late.

'BIM Experience Required' Isn't Always Specific Enough

It's easy to see how digital requirements can become another line on a job specification without anyone explaining exactly what's needed.

Take 'BIM experience required'.

That could mean producing models, reviewing design information, coordinating disciplines or understanding how model-based data is used during project delivery.

Depending on the position, some of those skills may be essential. Others might be completely unnecessary.

For a Design Manager responsible for reviewing coordinated information, a more useful requirement might be:

Experience reviewing coordinated design information, identifying conflicts and communicating changes across project teams.

Now there's something a recruiter can assess and a candidate can respond to.

It also avoids attracting applications from people with the wrong type of BIM experience, or excluding professionals who've carried out comparable responsibilities using different systems.

The question employers need to answer before advertising is what the person will actually be doing with the technology.

Could Your Job Specification Be Narrowing Your Shortlist? 

There's a difference between needing somebody with specialist technical knowledge and preferring somebody who's already familiar with your chosen software.

On some projects, experience with a particular platform will genuinely matter from day one. A specialist BIM Manager, for example, may need detailed knowledge of the project's information management processes and technical requirements.

But a Project Manager who's successfully delivered similar projects using another reporting platform shouldn't necessarily be ruled out.

That's why it's worth separating the responsibilities of the position from the tools used to carry them out.

A Better Way to Assess Digital Experience

Rather than relying on the software listed on a CV, employers could explore three things during the interview:

Actual responsibilities: What did the candidate personally do with the digital information available?

Practical experience: Can they explain a project issue they identified or managed using those systems?

Transferable knowledge: Have they worked with comparable processes, even if the software was different?

These conversations are particularly useful when the role involves interpreting reports, coordinating teams or making decisions based on project information.

We've explored the wider problem of assessing candidates beyond their CVs in The Hidden Skills Gap Behind Construction Staff Turnover.

Digital experience presents a similar challenge, but it also gives employers something practical to investigate: how confidently can the candidate explain the work they've carried out?

Recruitment Alone Won't Close the Digital Skills Gap

There's another interesting finding in the RICS UK research.

55% of respondents reporting the effects of skills shortages said they lacked the time or resources to train existing staff.

At the same time, 42% of UK respondents selected upskilling current employees as one of their leading approaches to preparing for future skills shortages.

Employers clearly recognise the importance of training, but finding the capacity to deliver it is proving difficult.

And with the wider UK Construction skills shortage already putting pressure on businesses, expecting every digital capability gap to be filled through recruitment could make an already difficult market even more competitive.

There's a balance to be found here.

Some projects will need specialist digital expertise brought in immediately. Others may have experienced professionals who could develop the required skills with the right support.

For employers, it's worth considering what can realistically be taught before turning every preferred platform into a mandatory requirement.

Is It Time to Rethink Your Construction Hiring Brief?

BIM, AI and digital planning are influencing how construction projects are managed, and employers will increasingly need professionals who are comfortable working with these technologies.

But a longer list of software requirements won't necessarily produce a better shortlist.

Being specific about the work, understanding which capabilities are essential and recognising where existing experience can transfer will help employers approach digital construction recruitment more effectively.

At V7 Recruitment, our Construction specialists work with businesses hiring across project delivery, commercial management, design and pre-construction.

Reviewing the skills your next project needs? Speak to our Construction recruitment team about finding professionals whose experience matches your requirements.

Author Bio

Josh Ramsay is Marketing Manager at V7 Recruitment, creating research-led content on hiring challenges, industry developments and changing workforce requirements across V7's specialist sectors.

Working alongside V7's recruitment teams, he brings together industry research and specialist insight to produce practical content for employers and professionals.

V7 Recruitment provides permanent and contract recruitment support across Construction, Fire & Security, Aviation, Data Centres, Mission Critical, Power Generation and Utilities.