quantity surveyor
Quantity surveyors have under their helm complete management of the cost involved in building and construction projects from the inception of the project until the delivery. They strive for an efficient use of the resources whilst keeping an eye on quality, quality standards, and client's requirements.
quantity surveyor quantity surveyors have under their helm complete management of the cost involved in building and construction projects from the inception of the project until the delivery. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include financial department processes, liquidity management, cost management, company policies, prepare cost-plus pricing models.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £50,062 a year for Chartered and certified accountants (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £38,696 to £68,056 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2421). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only quantity surveyor, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Mathematics
- Economics and Accounting
- Computers and Electronics
- Engineering and Technology
- Building and Construction
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Design
What you'd actually do
- Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates.
- Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors, and subcontractors on changes and adjustments to cost estimates.
- Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products.
- Assess cost effectiveness of products, projects or services, tracking actual costs relative to bids as the project develops.
- Consult with clients, vendors, personnel in other departments, or construction foremen to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues.
- Establish and maintain tendering process, and conduct negotiations.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does quantity surveyor do?
Quantity surveyors have under their helm complete management of the cost involved in building and construction projects from the inception of the project until the delivery. They strive for an efficient use of the resources whilst keeping an eye on quality, quality standards, and client's requirements.
What skills does quantity surveyor need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include financial department processes, liquidity management, cost management, company policies, prepare cost-plus pricing models, provide cost benefit analysis reports. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace quantity surveyor?
Our AI-durability model gives quantity surveyor a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.