2026 Salary Survey & Guides: Carrington West Provide Data-Driven Insights on Talent Trends Across the UK Built Environment Sector
Carrington West has today announced the launch of its 2026 Salary Survey & Guides, providing expert insight into salary benchmarks and workforce trends across the built environment sectors. The comprehensive publication is available now to download via our website, and can be accessed here.
Spanning the company’s key disciplines of infrastructure, buildings, planning, property, housing, highways, water, rail and the nuclear sector, the report captures a detailed snapshot of the current hiring landscape. It combines market intelligence gathered from Carrington West’s extensive recruitment activity with insights provided by expert consultants.
The 2026 edition highlights a market in flux. While demand for skilled professionals remains high, employers are contending with economic uncertainty, regulatory changes, and shifting expectations around flexible working. Across several sectors, pay inflation is stabilising, but skills shortages continue to challenge workforce planning efforts.
Key Trends from the 2026 Survey:
• Despite economic headwinds, many specialist roles remain hard to fill, particularly in building control, transport planning, and senior engineering disciplines.
• Interim and contract hiring remains the best solution for employers tackling project delays, regulatory pressure, and talent gaps.
• Strategic workforce planning, succession management, and upskilling initiatives have become central to long-term recruitment success.
• Hybrid and remote options continue to influence candidate decisions, particularly in technically skilled but desk-based roles.
• Following several years of sharp increases, contractor pay rates have begun to stabilise across most sectors, though remain significantly above pre-pandemic levels.
James Fernandes, Managing Director at Carrington West, commented:
“Our 2026 Salary Survey reflects the complexity of today’s hiring environment. Employers are being challenged on multiple fronts from regulatory reform to rising candidate expectations. The organisations that succeed will be those that take a data-driven approach to workforce planning, embrace flexibility, and invest in long-term talent development.”
The salary data is broken down by job title, level of experience, and region, and includes detailed analysis of both permanent and contract markets. From junior technicians to director-level professionals, the guide offers vital benchmarking tools for hiring managers, HR leaders, and job seekers alike.
Carrington West’s annual salary survey series is now a trusted resource for thousands of professionals in the built environment. The company’s specialist consultants bring sector-specific expertise that ensures the data and commentary are relevant, timely, and actionable.
Carrington West is an award-winning recruitment consultancy providing high-calibre talent to the UK’s highways, infrastructure, town planning, water & environmental, building, housing, and rail industries. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Portsmouth, the company recruits for interim, temporary, and permanent roles from entry to board level. Carrington West is proud to be an Investors in People Platinum-accredited organisation and named one of the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work.
