If you work in the rural, agricultural, environmental, forestry, utilities or infrastructure sectors, you don’t need a report to tell you recruitment has become harder. You’re living it.
But the question we keep coming back to at LandIt.jobs is: Why?
We speak with estates, landowners, environmental consultancies, utilities providers, contractors and rural SMEs every week. Everyone is feeling the pressure, but for slightly different reasons. When you look at the research, it paints a picture that’s more complex than a simple “skills shortage”.
So rather than claiming to have all the answers, here are the patterns we’re seeing and the questions they raise for the sector.
1. The local talent pool is tightening, but is that the whole story?
NICRE’s 2024 State of Rural Enterprise report (most recent) found that 52% of rural firms struggle to recruit or retain skilled staff, with the most common reason being a limited local pool of suitable labour.
That tracks with what employers tell us: ‘We just don’t get the volume.’
But is it purely a numbers issue, or is the type of candidate changing, too?
2. Specialist skills are becoming harder to find
Across the land‑based economy, demand for niche expertise continues to rise:
· Ecology and environmental compliance
· Rural surveying and valuations
· Utilities and infrastructure project skills
· Agricultural and forestry consultants
· GIS and land data analysis
ONS data shows growth in environmental and infrastructure roles outpacing the supply of qualified people. But we’re also hearing employers say:
“Even when we find someone with the right technical skills, they’re not always aligned to our culture or values.”
3. Salary expectations V reality
There is a persistent perception (and often a reality) that rural surveying and land‑based roles pay less than commercial or urban surveying positions. But the reasons are structural, not cultural. Much of the rural economy is built on lower-margin, long-term stewardship, from agricultural production and tenancy management to environmental schemes and diversified rural enterprises. These activities simply don’t generate the same fee levels as commercial property, development consultancy or corporate valuations, and salary bands follow suit.
Defra’s Rural Economic Bulletin consistently shows that earnings in predominantly rural areas lag behind urban areas, reflecting the underlying economic structure and lower average productivity of rural industries. For graduates weighing up student debt, cost of living and long‑term earning potential, this difference becomes a deciding factor. But salary is only one part of the equation: many people choose rural, agricultural, ecology or forestry careers precisely because of the type of work, the client relationships, the connection to land and community, and the lifestyle that comes with it, not because it pays the most.
By contrast, utilities and infrastructure roles have become a clear outlier within the rural economy. They sit at the intersection of land, engineering, energy, and national policy, and the investment flowing into these areas is entirely reshaping the salary landscape. ONS data show UK infrastructure investment rising sharply, with government spending on energy, grid upgrades, water, telecoms and transport projects increasing year-on-year as the UK races toward net zero, energy security and greater self-sufficiency. These projects are capital-intensive, time-critical, and politically backed, which means higher fee income, larger project budgets and more structured progression pathways.
As a result, salaries in utilities and infrastructure often exceed those in traditional rural practice, drawing mid‑career professionals toward roles that remain land‑based but offer greater financial reward. But higher pay doesn’t automatically make these roles the “right fit” for everyone. The pace, scale, regulatory pressure, and corporate structure of major infrastructure projects can feel very different to the relationship-driven, place-based, purpose-led work that attracts many people to rural practice in the first place. The widening salary gap is real, but so are the differences in work, culture, and lifestyle, and candidates are weighing all of these factors when choosing their path.
4. A narrow entry pipeline
The rural economy faces a broader challenge: not enough people are coming in. Within that already limited pool, rural roles, whether in surveying, forestry or agriculture, are often underrepresented:
· Low awareness as a career option
· University courses often focus on commercial pathways
· Fewer structured graduate schemes in land-based practices
This means fewer candidates are even considering rural roles in the first place.
At the same time, parts of the rural workforce are ageing, while graduate awareness of land-based careers remains comparatively low. That creates long-term pressure on succession planning across the sector.
So, is the skills gap actually three gaps: entry, capability and cultural?
5. Location still matters more than we admit
Rural roles often require professionals to live or work in less connected areas, which can bring trade-offs:
· Longer travel times, as work can be across large geographical areas
· Challenges for partners or families relocating
· Higher cost of living in certain areas of the country
· Fewer amenities and social opportunities compared to cities
For early-career professionals, this can become a deciding factor, even when the role itself is attractive.
Defra and ONS data both point to the same trend:
· Rural house prices rising faster than wages
· Limited rental availability
· Patchy public transport
Employers tell us:
“We’d hire more people if they could actually live here.”
So, is the recruitment challenge really a workforce issue or a rural infrastructure issue too?
6. Retention is a growing issue
It isn’t just about attracting talent; it’s about keeping it.
· Mid-career professionals move into better-paid sectors
· Burnout from workload or travel demands
· A lack of clear progression pathways
This creates a cycle in which organisations continually replace staff rather than build long-term capability and resilience.
7. Changing expectations of work
Expectations around work have shifted, particularly among younger professionals. Flexibility, hybrid working, clear progression, and work-life balance are no longer seen as benefits; they are expected.
Ironically, many land-based roles can align well with these expectations in practice.
They often already offer:
· A high degree of autonomy
· Trust-based diary management
· A blend of site-based and home-based work
· Outdoor variety rather than purely desk-based routines
· Strong purpose-led work connected to land, environment and infrastructure
· Less corporate bureaucracy than some larger industries
But these advantages may not be clearly communicated. Instead, candidates tend to focus on perceived drawbacks such as:
· Long distances
· Unclear hybrid working arrangements
· Isolated locations
· Less structured career pathways
As a result, many rural and land-based roles can appear less flexible and less progressive than they actually are.
8. Employer branding and career pathways are still underdeveloped
Many organisations in the rural economy don’t have the time or resources to build a strong employer brand.
But candidates, especially early‑career ones, want clarity on:
· Progression
· Training
· Culture
· Purpose
· Flexibility
We’re left wondering:
How many good candidates are we losing simply because the story isn’t being told well enough?
Conclusion: A perception problem as much as a pipeline problem
The challenge of recruiting across the rural economy isn’t driven by a single factor but by a combination of location constraints, specialist skills shortages, salary perceptions, a limited entry pipeline, retention pressures and changing workforce expectations.
Taken together, these issues point toward something broader than simply a labour shortage.
In many cases, the rural economy already offers qualities that modern professionals increasingly value, such as autonomy, variety, purpose-driven work and a closer connection to people, land and infrastructure. Yet those advantages are often undercommunicated, inconsistently structured, or overshadowed by concerns about location, progression, and accessibility.
The question for the sector may no longer be just how to attract more people, but how to better position rural careers for the next generation of professionals.