
Building services professionals have a touch of the dooms.
According to analysis from Hays, marking the 2025 Salary Survey, economic optimism among professionals has dropped significantly, with only 21% expressing a positive outlook, compared with 46% last year.
Pay rises are also down, with building services salaries rising by only 1.3%, lower than the previous year’s 2.5% increase. This modest growth in pay contributes to dissatisfaction and retention challenges among employees.
Despite the pessimism, the sector continues to demonstrate resilience in the short term, with 83% of employers planning to hire within the next 12 months, a modest rise from 81% last year. And 37% of employers are hopeful about job creation prospects over the next two to five years.



Employers have their own challenges. Key concerns include talent retention (52%), skills shortages (51%) and managing change (40%), all of which threaten to disrupt progress over the coming year.
The annual industry survey conducted by Hays for CIBSE Journal paints a clear picture of the challenges facing engineers. Issues such as reduced career progression opportunities, dissatisfaction with pay, and the looming impact of AI adoption are reshaping the landscape of building services engineering (see ‘AI: friend or foe’). These hurdles, however, also present opportunities for innovation and growth if tackled strategically.
Hays has coined the phrase ‘The Great Dissatisfaction’ to describe the bubbling frustration among building services engineers regarding career progression. Opportunities for advancement appear to have dwindled, with only 62% of engineers perceiving room for growth, down from 78% last year. Positivity about career prospects has also declined, dropping from 68% to 60%.

Phil Jackson, Hays
‘Building services engineers are currently feeling dissatisfied and unable to progress in their roles for several reasons – however, it’s not due to a lack of opportunity within the market,’ says Phil Jackson, director at Hays.
‘Numerous professionals have reported a lack of transparency regarding career progression and opportunities, which needs to be addressed by firms. This lack of clarity can lead to frustration and a feeling of stagnation among employees.’
Mike McNicholas, managing director at AtkinsRéalis, agrees, emphasising the importance of creating accessible career pathways. ‘One of the key things is giving visibility to everybody on what progression is available. We need to provide a roadmap that allows people to upskill themselves in the language, the process and the key features of one domain compared to another. We call it talent resilience, encouraging engineers to expand into different ways of working.
McNicholas says AtkinsRéalis works hard to ensure formal pathways for lateral fluidity, as well as vertical progression, whether it’s practising a craft across multiple areas, stepping up to project management, or expanding into other disciplines. He says this is essential in ‘developing the skills in our employees to be able to step up and take on different roles’.

Mike McNicholas, AtkinsRéalis
The skills shortage remains one of the most pressing issues for the industry, with 96% of firms reporting difficulties over the past year, up from 93% in 2023. Root causes include fewer entrants to the industry (56%), competition (49%) and salary concerns (31%).
‘There’s not a general shortage of capability; we’ve got lots of talent,’ McNicholas explained. ‘But when we hone it into specific areas, the shortage becomes very acute. Key areas like net zero sustainability, AI, and digital skills are particularly challenging.’
Addressing these gaps requires a multifaceted approach. Danny Madden, director at S I Sealy, highlighted the importance of structured training and mentorship. ‘Introducing employees to structured pathways, particularly CIBSE chartership programmes, will create stronger, more experienced engineers for the future,’ he says.
Madden also raised the importance of practical experience. S I Sealy has a reputation for training and developing young engineers. ‘We work on multiple project sizes, so it exposes an engineer to lots of different things,’ he says.
‘No-one is stuck designing ventilation for five years. They work on the whole project from cradle to grave, which helps engineers learn skills across all RIBA design stages.’

Danny Madden, S I Sealy
Madden says: ‘I’ve spoken to young engineers who left their companies because they were stuck on feasibility stages for years and never saw their designs implemented. I think this can really limit development.’
ChapmanBDSP’s apprenticeship programme typifies one potential solution. Kathryn Cox, HR director at ChapmanBDSP, says one of its apprentices from the first cohort of the CIBSE apprenticeship levy has just passed his endpoint assessment.
‘After six years and four months at the company, he is now a senior mechanical engineer. These success stories highlight the value of recruiting and training talent within the organisation,’ says Cox.


Apprenticeships are ‘crucial cogs’ when it comes to closing skills gaps. ‘There are firms who are doing excellent work in this area. Overall, there’s an opening up of pathways into building services that is important for versatility and helping to improve workforce diversity,’ says Jackson.
Over the past year, building services salaries rose by only 1.3%, lower than the previous year’s 2.5% increase. Jackson explained that ‘post-pandemic, there was an influx in demand across building services, which added pressure to firms to increase pay quite rapidly to attract staff. That market has now calmed, and salaries are levelling out – a stabilisation that needs to happen from time to time’.

Kathryn Cox, ChapmanBDSP
Retention challenges are exacerbated by dissatisfaction with career progression and pay. Around 43% of building services engineers say they intend to look for a new job in the coming 12 months, less than the 57% who wanted to move last year.
Of those who intend to look for a new job, 65% say they could be tempted to stay at their organisation if they were to offer better pay and benefits.
Jackson highlighted alternative strategies to compensate for limited salary growth. ‘Firms are being creative in what they can offer outside of salary,’ he says. Top benefits revealed in the survey include life insurance, pension provision and flexible working.


Cox agreed, saying that ‘companies are having to do a lot more to keep staff. Better employee benefits and a deeper understanding of what employees want all play a significant role in retention. People are looking at things much more holistically’.
Building services engineers value purpose and sustainability in their roles. While 56% feel their organisation’s employee value proposition aligns with their experience, 44% disagree. With 85% prioritising purpose and 82% valuing sustainability, Cox says that younger generations, in particular, are increasingly seeking social and environmental value, often prioritising it over salary.
AI: friend or foe?
The rise of AI is reshaping industries worldwide, and building services engineering is no exception. While 64% of engineers express interest in training to integrate AI into the workplace, 74% of employers remain hesitant to recommend AI tools.
McNicholas says that AtkinsRéalis is cautious about how they are integrating AI into the business.
‘There’s a massive energy for AI. It feels as though the staff want to go quicker than we want them to at the moment, but maybe that’s wise, because the consequence of it going wrong can be dangerous,’ he says.
‘It’s exciting, and many of our staff have access to a safe version of Microsoft Copilot to explore and get comfortable with. We haven’t exposed sensitive company databases, due to security concerns, but we are taking small, deliberate steps with a solid strategy in place.’
Cox highlighted the balance between enthusiasm and caution. ‘AI is a powerful tool, but potential pitfalls exist. Transparency, clear guidelines and thoughtful integration are essential, especially for critical applications like contract drafting or safety compliance under the Building Safety Act.’
‘We’ve got someone appointed to look at future marketplace demands for skills and how we develop our talent map against that,’ says McNicholas.
SI Sealy’s Madden says AI is something that industry must learn to embrace, not fear. ‘Its utility in drafting documents and automating tasks makes it a valuable ally for engineers worldwide,’ he says.
‘Employers must provide clear career pathways and invest in continuous learning to drive their employees’ growth,’ Jackson explained.
McNicholas also highlighted the importance of mentorship and advocacy. ‘We’ve implemented a sponsorship programme for underrepresented groups. It’s aimed at accelerating their careers and creating advocacy for their talent. This approach has been instrumental in unlocking potential and driving retention. We often find our ambition for an individual is more than it is for themselves. We can see where they can take their careers.’
Madden highlighted that S I Sealy has never brought in an external director. ‘This really helps with retention, because it shows the people who want to progress that the opportunity is there,’ he says. ‘It’s so important to be inclusive, making sure people feel part of a team and creating that positive culture at your company.’
Cox remains optimistic. ‘Yes, there are challenges,’ she says. ‘Post-Budget, companies face greater expenses, but there are so many great opportunities on the horizon for the industry. It’s an exciting time.