For decades, the real estate industry was viewed as a legacy sector—relationship-driven, paperwork-heavy, and slow to adopt change. That perception has shifted dramatically. Today, PropTech (Property Technology) is transforming how properties are built, bought, sold, financed, managed, and experienced. As digital disruption accelerates, real estate organisations are not only modernising operations but also redefining their talent strategies to stay competitive.
From AI-powered property valuations and IoT-enabled smart buildings to digital mortgages, AR-based property tours, and automated facility management, PropTech is reshaping the real estate value chain. With this evolution comes a growing demand for future-ready talent that blends real estate expertise with technology, data, sustainability, and customer experience.
This edition of The People Weekly powered by PeopleLogic explores how PropTech is driving new talent requirements and what real estate leaders must do to build competitive, agile teams.
What Is PropTech?
According to JP Morgan, “PropTech includes a range of solutions that improve how real estate is developed, marketed, managed, and occupied. It represents the intersection of real estate with technology, software, and digital solutions designed to maximise sales, research, marketing, and property management.”
In simple terms, PropTech applies digital innovation to every stage of the real estate lifecycle, improving speed, transparency, efficiency, and user experience.(Source)
PropTech Market Size and Growth Outlook
The rapid adoption of PropTech is being driven by multiple forces converging simultaneously:
Rising consumer demand for digital-first experiences
Investor pressure for transparency, efficiency, and speed
Sustainability and ESG mandates
Advances in AI, IoT, cloud, and data analytics
Post-pandemic shifts toward hybrid living and working models
Global PropTech Market Growth
India PropTech Market Growth
The India PropTech market generated USD 918.1 million in revenue in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 3,797.6 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 19.4%, according to Grand View Research. (Source)
This growth signals a clear shift: real estate is fast becoming a technology-led, data-driven industry, and talent demand is evolving accordingly.
Key Drivers Accelerating PropTech Adoption
Traditional real estate firms are embracing digital transformation to enable:
Virtual property tours and digital leasing journeys
AI-led pricing and valuation models
Intelligent property and facility management
Predictive maintenance using IoT sensors
Data-driven portfolio and asset optimisation
At the same time, PropTech startups are reimagining real estate through asset-light models, fractional ownership platforms, smart homes, co-living ecosystems, and tech-enabled investments.
Digital tools such as AI, cloud platforms, BIM, smart building systems, and advanced analytics are streamlining workflows, improving transparency, and enabling faster decision-making.
Everyday operations—from rent collection via digital payment platforms to automated underwriting and portfolio risk analysis—are becoming seamless and data-driven.
This shift validates a growing industry reality: real estate organisations that embrace digitalisation are better equipped to adapt to economic shifts, labour constraints, and changing customer expectations.
The New Talent Skills Shaping the PropTech Era
1. Product & Platform Innovation
As real estate platforms scale, product-led thinking becomes critical.
In-demand roles include:
PropTech Product Managers
Platform Architects
Innovation Leads
Real Estate Platform Analysts
These professionals combine domain expertise, user-centric design, and platform-based business models to modernise property ecosystems.
2. Data, Analytics & AI
Real estate is increasingly data-rich, with analytics driving pricing, occupancy, sustainability, and customer insights.
High-demand roles include:
Real Estate Data Scientists
AI-driven Pricing & Valuation Analysts
Machine Learning Engineers
Customer Insights Analysts
Talent that blends AI/ML expertise with real estate domain modelling holds a significant competitive advantage.
3. Smart Buildings & IoT
IoT-enabled buildings have transformed property management from reactive to predictive. Demand is rising for professionals skilled in smart systems, building automation, and sensor-driven analytics.
4. Sustainability & ESG Talent
With net-zero targets and conscious investing gaining momentum, ESG specialists are becoming central to real estate strategy. Sustainability managers, ESG analysts, and green building experts are now in mission-critical roles.
5. LegalTech, FinTech & Compliance
Digitised transactions, tokenised ownership, digital identity verification, and smart contracts are creating demand for new-age legal and financial talent within PropTech platforms.
6. Customer Experience & Community Management
In co-living, serviced apartments, and shared spaces, customer experience is a key differentiator.
Emerging roles include:
Tenant Experience Managers
Community Operations Leads
Digital Customer Success Managers
These professionals blend hospitality, service design, and technology-enabled engagement to enhance resident satisfaction.
Building a Future-Ready PropTech Talent Strategy
Create Cross-Functional Talent Ecosystems
Successful PropTech organisations foster collaboration between technology teams, property experts, compliance specialists, designers, and data professionals. Hybrid roles and multidisciplinary teams are essential.
Invest in Reskilling and Domain Bridging
A major industry gap exists between tech talent lacking real estate context and property professionals lacking digital skills. Structured reskilling programs—covering data, AI, ESG, BIM, and PropTech fundamentals—are now critical.
Redesign Hiring for Agility and Innovation
Traditional hiring models can no longer keep pace. Recruiters must prioritise candidates with a product mindset, adaptability, and innovation-driven thinking. Talent from SaaS, fintech, hospitality, and consumer tech can accelerate transformation.
Strengthen Employer Branding
To attract top-tier tech talent, real estate firms must move beyond the “brick-and-mortar” image. Highlighting digital-first cultures, modern tech stacks, flexible work models, and purpose-driven missions—especially around sustainability and smart cities—significantly improves employer appeal.
The Future of PropTech Talent
As PropTech matures, new roles will emerge, including:
Digital Twin Architects
AI-based Asset Optimisers
Urban Tech Strategists
Metaverse Property Consultants
The industry will also see growth in gig and project-based PropTech talent, supporting digital transformation, ESG initiatives, and customer experience innovation. Partnerships between real estate firms, technology providers, and academic institutions will be key to building sustainable talent pipelines.
Conclusion: Winning the Talent Race in PropTech
PropTech has transformed real estate from a slow, transactional industry into a dynamic, tech-powered, data-led ecosystem. As buildings become smarter and customer expectations rise, the true competitive advantage lies in talent—professionals who bridge real estate expertise with technology, sustainability, and platform thinking.
At PeopleLogic, we see this shift as more than a technology upgrade. It represents a fundamental reimagining of the real estate workforce. Organisations that invest in agile, multidisciplinary talent ecosystems today will be the ones shaping smarter cities and future-ready living experiences tomorrow.
For organisations navigating PropTech hiring, reskilling, or workforce transformation, strategic talent partnerships can make all the difference.
