India needs 1,60,000 construction project managers by 2035: Report

India will need almost 1,60,000 additional construction project managers by 2035, representing a 67 per cent increase from now, according to US-based Project Management Institute's (PMI) recent Construction Talent Gap report.

"As the Indian economy continues its rapid growth, there is an urgent need to strengthen construction project management capability across the country," said Ben Breen, Vice President of Gigaprojects at PMI, who has focused on developments in South Asia for more than two decades.

"The challenge is not simply the number of projects being delivered. As India accelerates investment across infrastructure, manufacturing, energy and urban development, projects are becoming larger, more interconnected and more complex," Breen told PTI on the sidelines of International Built Environment Week, held in Singapore from September 2-4.


Breen noted that India already has a substantial base of engineering and technical talent. "However, the country's next phase of growth will also require more professionals capable of leading complex projects and programmes from concept through delivery".

PMI will host a project management conference in Bengaluru on October 3. The Project Management South Asia Conference 2026 will bring together more than 800 project leaders and representatives from over 180 organisations under the theme "MORE, Together: Future-Ready in the Age of AI".