News

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Amid industry transition, Global Real Estate Workforce Survey highlights how firms are approaching talent and culture.

Released on Jan 15, 2026, the Global Real Estate Workforce Survey (Volume IV) provides insight into how commercial real estate organizations are managing workforce composition, culture, and people practices during a period of significant change for the industry.

Conducted biennially in collaboration with Ferguson Partners and supported by 19 leading commercial real estate associations globally, the Survey examines workforce demographics and internal practices across North America.

Participation in this edition of the Survey was lower than in prior years, reflecting the broader economic, geopolitical, and organizational pressures facing the industry. As a result, only the North America edition is being released publicly.

While the reduced respondent base limits direct comparison with earlier editions, the results offer a meaningful snapshot of how firms are continuing to approach talent, culture, and inclusion amid ongoing industry recalibration.

About the Survey

• Formerly known as the Global Real Estate DEI Survey, the Survey was renamed to reflect its broader focus on workforce data. While representation remains a core component, the Global Real Estate Workforce Survey also evaluates how organizations foster employee engagement, support inclusive workplace cultures, address pay equity, and expand access to careers in commercial real estate.

Key highlights: Budgets & Engagement

The North America results reflect continued investment in people practices, even as firms navigate shifting priorities.

• More than nine in ten North American respondents report having either a formal inclusivity program or related policies in place, with almost 44% maintaining a fully documented, firmwide program approved by senior leadership.
• Over the past year, nearly four in ten firms (38%) reported changing the terminology used to describe their programs, often moving away from the term “DEI” toward language such as “inclusivity” or “belonging.”
• Despite budgetary pressures, 30% of firms report having a dedicated inclusivity budget, while an additional 44% fund initiatives through other business areas such as human resources. Most firms (71%) reported no change in inclusivity-related spending over the past 12 months.
• Employee engagement and retention remain key areas of focus. Almost 78% of respondents assign employee resources to inclusivity-related efforts, with firms dedicating an average of 1.2 full-time equivalent employees to this work.

Representation and Workforce Composition

• Among participating North American firms, women account for 43.5% of the overall workforce, while almost one third (32%) of US-based employees identify as people of color.
• Representation remains strongest at junior and mid-level roles, with more pronounced disparities at senior leadership and board levels.
• The Survey also highlights continued attention to policies that support inclusive workplace cultures. The most widely implemented strategies include access to mental health and non-work-related support (87.5%) and parental leave beyond legal requirements, reflecting firms’ focus on retention and employee well-being during a period of workforce transition.
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) were cited as the most impactful policy supporting inclusive workplaces, with 40.0% of firms currently sponsoring ERGs and an additional 11% planning to do so within the next year.

A Snapshot During Transition

Volume IV of the Global Real Estate Workforce Survey reflects responses from 57 organizations, representing 42,125 full-time real estate employees and almost $716 billion in assets under management across North America. Data was collected between June and September 2025.

About the Survey

The Global Real Estate Workforce Survey is a biennial industry survey examining workforce demographics, organizational culture, and people practices across the commercial real estate industry.

The Survey is conducted in collaboration with Ferguson Partners and supported by 19 global commercial real estate associations, including AFIRE, AIA, APREA, AREF, BOMA, BPF, CFMA, CoreNet Global, CREW Network, EPRA, NAIOP, NAREIM, NCREIF, OSCRE, PFA, PREA, RICS, REALPAC and ULI. The Survey was formerly known as the Global Real Estate DEI Survey.

For more information on the Survey, contact:

Lindsay Wilhusen
Survey Director, Ferguson Partners
Email: lwilhusen@fergusonpartners.com

Carolyn Lane
VP, Member Engagement & Chief Operating Officer
Email: clane@realpac.ca