Q1 is over. Now the hiring plans get real.

For many organisations across the built environment, the first quarter of FY27 was spent getting budgets approved, plans signed off and priorities aligned. That work happens in boardrooms and spreadsheets. What happens next happens in teams.

The real question now is what those plans mean for people: which roles get created, which get rethought, and what kind of talent organisations need to deliver the next 12 months. Here is what we are seeing across facilities management, property, construction and the wider built environment as we move beyond Q1.

From replacing roles to planning capability

The biggest shift we are seeing is that organisations are hiring more deliberately. A resignation no longer automatically triggers a like-for-like replacement. Our numbers show where that extra care is going. Executive appointments are now taking eight weeks to fill, up from six. Other permanent roles are being filled in six weeks. At senior level, it is not only employers taking more time. Candidates are also being far more selective about the opportunities they will consider, with flexibility and a strong team culture top of the list.

Instead, hiring managers and leadership teams are stepping back and asking bigger questions:

Capability: What skills does the team need to deliver the next 12 months, not just to cover the last 12?

Structure: Is this role still set up the right way, or is there a better way to split the work?

Timing: Which hires unlock the most value now, and which can wait until later in the year?

Retention: Are we losing people we could have kept with a clearer pathway?

This is a healthy change. Replacement hiring keeps a team standing still. Capability hiring moves it forward. But it also means hiring decisions take more thought up front, and the brief matters more than ever.

What this means for employers

Being selective is the right instinct. But selectivity only works if the strongest candidates still want to say yes. In our experience, the employers who hire well in this kind of market do four things.

Start with the outcome, not the old job description. Define what success looks like in the role at six and 12 months. A recycled position description tells candidates you have not thought about the future of the role.

Be ready to explain the bigger picture. Good candidates will ask where the business is heading, how the team fits into that and why the role exists now. Have a clear answer.

Be specific about what’s in it for them. Flexibility and team culture are now the first things strong candidates ask us about, followed closely by progression. A vague “we’re flexible” no longer cuts it. Spell out how flexible work actually runs, let candidates meet the team they would join, and show a realistic path to a bigger role.

Move with intent once you find the right person. Deliberate does not have to mean slow. With executive appointments now taking eight weeks, every extra week of waiting is a week your preferred candidate can accept another offer. For other permanent roles, we are filling positions in six weeks, and a well-run process keeps it there. Clear stages, quick feedback and decision-makers lined up early are what keep the best people engaged.

The organisations that will come out ahead this year are the ones that pair careful planning with a compelling, well-run hiring process.

What this means for candidates

For candidates, this is a different kind of market. There are good opportunities, but employers are being more selective about who they bring in and why. At executive level, expect the process to take longer. Eight weeks is now typical for executive roles and six weeks for other permanent roles, so patience and staying engaged matter.

We are also seeing candidates become more selective themselves. The strongest people we speak with want more than the next salary increase. Flexibility and a strong team culture are top of their list, followed by clarity on progression and a role with genuine long-term scope.

If you are considering a move in the months ahead, a few things will help you stand out:

Know your value beyond your title. Be ready to talk about the outcomes you have delivered, the problems you have solved and the capability you would bring to a team.

Ask the bigger questions. Where is the business heading? What does progression look like here? Why does this role exist now? Good employers will welcome those questions.

Think in 12-month terms. Ask yourself where the role could take you, not just what it pays on day one.

Be open to roles that have been reshaped. As organisations rethink structure, some of the best opportunities will not look like the job you are leaving.

A more considered market rewards candidates who are clear about what they want and can show how they will add value.

Looking ahead

The plans are set. The next nine months are about delivering them, and that comes down to having the right people in the right roles.

For employers, that means hiring with purpose and running a process that wins the people you want. For candidates, it means looking past the next pay rise to the role, the team and the future it offers.

Planning your next hire? Talk to our team about how to shape the role, the brief and the process to attract the right talent.

Thinking about your next move? Get in touch for a confidential conversation about the market and where your career could go next.