Project Controls & Commercial Recruitment Market Update | October 2026
What we’re seeing across the Infrastructure & Engineering talent market
What we see
Over the past few months, we’ve continued our conversations with clients, candidates and project leaders across the infrastructure, technical construction and engineering sectors.
While individual projects, organisations and regions face their own unique challenges, many of the conversations are returning to the same themes.
Demand remains strong across Project Planning, Project Controls, Commercial Management, Quantity Surveying and QSRA Risk Management. Major programmes continue to move forward, investment remains committed, and organisations continue to recognise the importance of securing the right talent.
However, the way organisations hire and the way professionals navigate their careers is changing.
This isn’t a market slowdown.
It’s a market that’s evolving, and understanding those changes is becoming increasingly important for both employers and professionals looking to stay ahead.
Current market
At first glance, the market appears positive.
Significant investment remains committed across aviation, data centres, defence, energy & power, transportation and utilities. Organisations continue to recruit, projects continue to progress, and demand remains consistent across Project Planning, Project Controls, Commercial Management, Quantity Surveying and QRA Risk Management.
However, beneath that positive backdrop, hiring behaviour has become more considered.
Businesses are taking longer to make decisions. Approval processes are more rigorous. Interview stages are becoming more detailed. The business case behind every hire is receiving greater scrutiny.
This isn’t because organisations no longer need talent.
It’s because the cost of making the wrong hiring decision has increased significantly.
As major programmes face increasing pressure around delivery, cost, inflation, governance and stakeholder expectations, employers are placing greater emphasis on proven delivery capability, sector knowledge and cultural fit.
The market remains active, but expectations have undoubtedly increased.
Current trends
One of the most notable trends we’re seeing across Project Planning, Project Controls, Commercial Management, Quantity Surveying and Risk Management is the growing concentration of professionals operating within similar experience.
Many organisations can find candidates with the appropriate job title.
The challenge is identifying those who can demonstrate genuine impact on project & programme delivery.
As a result, employers are digging much deeper into areas such as:
- Programme complexity.
- Time impact analysis.
- Contract value and commercial exposure.
- Stakeholder management.
- Leadership responsibilities.
- Risk, cost and schedule integration.
- Contractual and commercial management experience.
- Tangible delivery achievements.
Simply having held a position is no longer enough.
What increasingly differentiates candidates is their ability to demonstrate how they have contributed to successful project outcomes and the value they have created for clients and employers.
The importance of how to best position yourself
Another trend we’re seeing is the growing importance of how professionals position themselves within the market.
We regularly meet highly capable individuals who have delivered excellent work on major infrastructure projects but struggle to communicate their experience in a way that resonates with hiring managers.
At the same time, we see others progress more effectively because they can clearly explain:
- The projects they’ve worked on.
- The challenges they’ve overcome.
- Their specific responsibilities.
- The value they delivered.
- The type of environment where they perform best.
The difference is often not pure capability.
It’s the ability to present experience in a way that aligns with what organisations are seeking along with the ability to effectively communicate your worth.
In an increasingly competitive market, that matters more than ever.
What this means for clients
For organisations hiring within Project Planning, Project Controls, Commercial Management, Quantity Surveying and Risk Management, attracting and retaining specialist talent is becoming increasingly strategic.
The businesses achieving the strongest hiring outcomes are typically those that:
- Clearly define their requirements before entering the market.
- Align salary and rate expectations with market conditions.
- Move decisively when they identify the right individual.
- Engage with passive talent before project mobilisation pressures arise.
- Focus on long-term capability building rather than short-term hiring solutions.
We’re also seeing a growing emphasis on workforce planning, succession planning and talent mapping as organisations seek to secure critical skills before shortages become more acute.
The most successful businesses aren’t necessarily hiring more.
They’re hiring with greater speed, purpose and confidence.
What this means for professionals
For professionals, demand remains high across the infrastructure sector, technical construction and engineering sectors.
However, we’re increasingly seeing the best outcomes achieved by individuals who take a considered approach to their careers.
The professionals generating the strongest opportunities tend to have a clear understanding of:
- Where their experience adds the greatest value.
- Which sectors align most closely with their expertise.
- The skills currently most in demand.
- Their longer-term career objectives.
Rather than pursuing every opportunity, they’re making informed decisions based on alignment, development potential and long-term career progression.
As a result, they’re often securing positions that offer greater responsibility, stronger career prospects and a better overall fit.
Looking ahead
As we look to close out 2026 and move into 2027, we expect demand to remain strong across Project Planning, Project Controls, Commercial Management, Quantity Surveying and Risk Management.
Long-term infrastructure investment continues to create opportunities across aviation, civil engineering, data centres, defence infrastructure energy & power, highways, rail and utilities. Many projects and programmes are moving from their respective design phases into construction delivery.
The challenge for organisations will be ensuring they have access to the specialist planning, controls, commercial and risk expertise required to deliver those projects successfully.
Likewise, for professionals, success will be determined by understanding where their skills are most valuable and ensuring their experience aligns with the evolving needs of the market.
The Infraspec perspective
At Infraspec, our conversations every day revolve around Project Planning, Project Controls, Commercial Management, Quantity Surveying and Risk Management professionals working across some of the UK’s most complex infrastructure and energy programmes.
Because we’re immersed in these sectors, we have a unique perspective on where demand is growing, where skills shortages are emerging and how hiring expectations continue to evolve.
Our role extends beyond simply introducing people to opportunities.
We help organisations understand talent availability, salary positioning, workforce trends and market dynamics. Equally, we help professionals understand how their experience is perceived within the market and where the strongest opportunities exist.
By sharing these insights, we aim to help both employers and professionals make more informed decisions.
Final thought
The infrastructure talent market remains active, but it is undoubtedly evolving.
Across Project Planning, Project Controls, Commercial Management, Quantity Surveying and Risk Management, demand continues to be driven by major investment programmes throughout the UK and Europe. However, hiring decisions are becoming more considered, competition for the strongest professionals remains high, and organisations are placing greater emphasis on proven delivery capability.
For employers, success increasingly comes down to understanding where the talent sits, what motivates it and how to attract it effectively. Gaining conversations with high demand talent is a real skill. At Infraspec over 65% of all the placements we make are with passive candidates, candidates who are not actively seeking a new role.
For professionals, success is about understanding where demand is strongest and ensuring their experience aligns with the challenges that major projects need solved.
The market continues to create opportunity on both sides.
The organisations and individuals who understand these changes earliest will be best placed to capitalise on them.
If you would like further information on the market
If you’d like a confidential conversation around hiring trends, salary benchmarking, workforce planning, organisational capability or your own career positioning, we’d be delighted to share our latest market insights.
Some current vacancy highlights:
Head of Planning: https://infraspec.co.uk/job/head-of-planning/
Associate Director – Project Controls: https://infraspec.co.uk/job/associate-director-project-controls-infrastructure/
Commercial Lead: https://infraspec.co.uk/job/commercial-lead-aviation/
Risk Manager: https://infraspec.co.uk/job/risk-manager-major-uk-infrastructure-programme/
An inside look at the UK infrastructure sector and compelling insights into project controls and commercial management.
