What the 2025 IREM® Jobs Analysis tells us about the future of property management... and what people leaders should do with it

The result is a clear, data-driven picture of what matters most in today’s real estate management roles, and what people leaders must prioritize to attract, develop, and retain strong teams.

Noteworthy in this year’s findings:

1. Ethics and leadership outrank everything, across every role

The top tasks for CPMs, ARMs, and ACoMs all point to the same conclusion: Ethical decision-making and leadership competencies aren’t “soft skills;” they’re the job.

Across certifications, the highest-rated tasks include:

• Adhering to a framework for ethical decision-making

• Abiding by the IREM Code of Professional Ethics

• Communicating effectively: Verbally, in writing, and interpersonally

• Demonstrating critical thinking and deductive reasoning

• Managing priorities and deadlines

This is a shift from the more technical emphases of past analyses. The profession still requires strong financial, legal, and operational skills, but leaders and survey respondents repeatedly prioritized behaviors that build trust, strengthen relationships, and guide judgment.

In short: Property management has become more people-intensive, not less.

2. Technology is no longer its own domain. It’s everywhere

In 2020, “Technology” was introduced in the survey as a standalone performance domain, reflecting the disruption of COVID-era operations. In 2025, that domain was deliberately removed.

The message from the workgroup: Technology is now baked into every task. It’s not a separate skill, but part of how property managers communicate, analyze, coordinate, market, and operate.

This mirrors workplace reality: leaders no longer need “tech specialists,” they need teams who use technology fluidly and strategically across the role.

3. Each certification reflects a unique profile of priorities

While ethics and leadership appear universally, the analysis shows distinct emphases based on role:

• CPMs prioritize legal/risk management, strategic asset oversight, and adaptive leadership styles, reflecting their multifaceted, portfolio-level responsibilities.

• ARMs show heavier weighting toward resident interaction, operational precision, and emotional intelligence, underscoring the interpersonal intensity of residential work.

• ACoMs emphasize commercial negotiations, lease enforcement, and tactical problem-solving to support the business tenants in their care.

Understanding these distinctions not only helps organizations hire better, it also helps them build clearer internal pathways for career growth.

4. Complaint resolution is one of the most important tasks across all property types

In the property operations domain, the top task for each certification is the same: Investigate and resolve property-related complaints.

This finding reinforces what many managers already know: Customer (resident/tenant) experience is now a primary performance driver, and it demands highly developed communication, de-escalation, and empathy skills.

5. Job demands shift based on organization type, job function, and portfolio mix

The demographic analysis reveals meaningful differences in task relevance depending on:

• Industry sector (private owner, REIT, corporate real estate, government, etc.)

• Job function (site manager vs. regional manager vs. asset manager)

• Property type (retail, office, industrial, multifamily, mixed-use)

While ethics and communication remain top task categories across the board, operational emphases can vary dramatically.

For example:

• ARM respondents in government agencies rank legal compliance highest.

• CPMs in retail environments place more weight on lease enforcement.

• Commercial managers in REITs rank emotional intelligence lower than their peers, suggesting different interaction patterns with tenants, vendors, and corporate teams.

For leaders, this underscores the importance of context-specific development pathways, not one-size-fits-all expectations.

What people leaders should take away from this study

1. Hire for character. Train for skill.

Ethics and critical thinking dominate the top tasks across CPM, ARM, and ACoM roles. That means:

• A candidate’s judgment and integrity predict more success than any one technical skill.

• Interview processes should incorporate scenario-based questions, ethical dilemmas, and problem-solving challenges—not just resume screens.

Technical skills can be taught. Right-fit behaviors cannot.

2. Leadership development is no longer optional

Task awareness, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and communication are consistently ranked at the top. People leaders should therefore:

• Offer training on de-escalation and tenant/resident communication.

• Coach teams on prioritization and workload balancing.

• Build pathways for managers to develop supervisory and cross-functional leadership early.

Leadership should be the backbone of every job description, not an “add-on.”

3. Build teams with strong operational judgement, not just task execution

The highest-ranked Leadership tasks were critical thinking and deductive reasoning, signaling a shift in what the profession needs. Property managers aren’t just task-doers; they’re interpreters, navigators, and decision-makers.

Real estate environments are changing faster than ever, and leaders need teams who can:

• Analyze competing information

• Adapt quickly

• Identify risks early

• Recommend solutions confidently

This study quantifies the value of strategic thinking in everyday operations.

4. Invest in ongoing skill development based on role, property type, and portfolio mix

The Jobs Analysis makes clear that CPM, ARM, and ACoM roles require distinct skill sets. People leaders should:

• Align role expectations to the certification that best matches the work

• Offer targeted training based on property type

• Encourage team members to self-assess using the Jobs Analysis self-evaluation tool

• Support employees in pursuing the IREM certification that fits their career trajectory

A one-path-for-everyone approach leaves talent underdeveloped and turnover higher. Organizations can find group discounts on IREM webinar subscriptions, empowering their teams to choose courses to take that suit their available time and locations. Contact Corporate Solutions via email or phone at (312) 329-6079 to learn more about group discounts on courses, webinars, and on-demand short-course Skill Badges.

5. Make technology competence a baseline expectation

Even though Technology is no longer a standalone domain, it's woven into budgeting, leasing, maintenance, communication, and risk management tasks. Leaders should:

• Ensure teams are proficient with core platforms

• Evaluate digital skills as part of onboarding

• Offer micro-training as tools evolve

• Cultivate a culture where technology is used proactively, not reactively

Technology fluency is now a fundamental part of property management professionalism.

Why this matters for the future of the profession

The 2025 IREM® Jobs Analysis confirms what many people leaders already sense:

• Property management roles are getting broader, more complex, and more people-focused.

• Ethics and leadership aren’t “nice to have.” They’re the foundation of excellent management.

• Operations aren’t becoming simpler. They’re becoming more integrated and tech-enabled.

• Expectations aren’t static. They shift based on asset type, ownership structure, tenant mix, and economic environment.

• The profession is advancing. And the Jobs Analysis gives every organization a roadmap for keeping their talent strategy aligned with that reality.

Learn more about group discounts on courses, webinars, and on-demand short-course Skill Badges. Contact Corporate Solutions via email or phone at (312) 329-6079.

Get a copy of IREM’s 2025 Early Career Survey to early career members under the age of 40 to learn more about the wants and needs of this critical group.

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