Another commercial real estate benchmark has introduced new terminology to replace former references to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Survey intake is now in progress for the 2026 Global Real Estate Workforce Survey, which was known as the Global Real Estate DEI Survey in its three previous iterations. This follows after the GRESB global assessment of ESG metrics in commercial real estate portfolios renamed its DEI component as “human capital” this year.
The U.S.-based consulting firm, Ferguson Partners, is facilitating what’s now called the workforce survey on behalf of 20 sponsoring industry organizations across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, including the Real Property Association of Canada (REALPAC), BOMA International, Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), CoreNet Global, NAIOP, the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate (OSCRE) and Urban Land Institute. The survey poses detailed questions about respondents’ hiring, promotion and retention practices and their specific policies and programs related to inclusivity.
The 2024 survey collected data from 216 real estate firms, representing nearly 297,000 full-time employees worldwide. The resulting report, gleaned from responses submitted in the summer of 2023, provided a snapshot of industry efforts to support and promote DEI and a breakdown of the gender and ethnicity split of real estate professionals at various career stages and compensation levels.
The survey submission period for the 2026 report is now open until Sept. 19, 2025. However, the indicators that track how the industry engenders inclusivity have been reframed.
“The survey was renamed from the Global Real Estate DEI Survey to better reflect its broader focus. While representation data remains core, the survey also evaluates how companies foster employee engagement, ensure pay equity and expand access to real estate careers,” states the explanation posted on REALPAC’s website.
Meanwhile, GRESB offers no explanation for the new terminology in its overview of 2025 updates to the assessment. Rather, the definition of human capital is inserted between the letters “C” and “E” in the alphabetical list of terminology related to social policy — presumably where DEI was previously positioned.
“Human capital refers to the knowledge, culture, skills, experience and overall contributions of an organization’s workforce. It encompasses strategies for fairly attracting, developing and retaining talent, fostering a productive and engaged workplace, and ensuring fair and effective workforce management,” the definition states. “Many organizational approaches can contribute to human capital objectives, including: talent development and advancement; skills-based hiring and development; and diversity, equity and inclusion.”
