The Asset Management Council has released The State of Asset Management Sector Report for 2026, which captures the priorities, pressure points and opportunities shaping the profession across Australia.
Drawing on responses from AM Council members and the wider professional community, the report looks beyond technical practice to ask what asset management professionals are dealing with now, what is getting in their way and where they believe the profession is heading.
The result is a grounded view of a profession that is highly committed to its work, alert to rapid change and clear about the organisational conditions needed to deliver value.
A committed profession facing a permission gap
Asset management professionals are not questioning the value of their field. Ninety-three per cent expect to remain in the profession over the next five years, and 6 out of 10 respondents hold a manager-level role or above.
Their frustration sits elsewhere. When asked about the biggest bottlenecks to implementing an asset management framework, 34% named leadership support and buy-in. Process maturity and governance followed at 31%, with asset management knowledge and awareness at 30%. Technology and tools ranked last, cited by just 10%.
The report describes this as a permission gap. Practitioners understand the work, but the level of organisational backing, cultural readiness and resourcing often determines how far good asset management can go.
AI is setting the agenda, while the sector strengthens its foundations
Digitisation and AI are the dominant trends in the 2026 findings, selected by 85% of respondents. Practical adoption is growing more steadily, with 41% reporting that their organisation uses artificial intelligence and machine learning, up from 35% in 2024.
Members are also choosing to build the foundations that will help new technology deliver. Strategic asset management is the skill they most want to develop, selected by 26%, ahead of AI and machine learning at 17%. Standards, asset management systems and processes are the most commonly identified organisational skill gaps, yet standards are the least sought-after area for personal development.
This creates an important opportunity to make foundational knowledge more practical, accessible and directly connected to the challenges members are trying to solve.
Systems are spreading, but confidence in the data remains moderate
Formal asset management systems are becoming standard practice. Seventy-six per cent of respondents said their organisation has implemented an asset management system, up from 67% in 2024, and a further 15% plan to do so.
Adoption alone does not guarantee trusted information or realised value. Only 37% are confident or very confident that the asset information they receive is accurate. More than half (53%) are only somewhat confident, and just 5% are very confident. Asset and finance data are integrated in fewer than half of organisations.
These findings matter well beyond technology teams. Decisions about risk, lifecycle cost, investment and service delivery all depend on information people trust and systems that connect operational and financial views of the asset base.
Career experience and preparedness are not uniform
The report also highlights differences that are easy to lose in an overall average. Career progression or a sense of ceiling was named as a challenge by 28% of women, compared with 8% of men, one of the sharpest subgroup differences in the survey.
Preparedness for disruption remains measured. Sixty-eight per cent describe their organisation as somewhat prepared, while 22% say it is very well prepared and 10% say it is unprepared. Climate risk policy is becoming more common, but smaller organisations remain less likely to have formal policies and annual reporting in place.
What can members take from the report?
The State of Asset Management Sector Report 2026 provides a practical benchmark for members, leaders and teams. Use it to:
- Compare your organisation’s priorities and challenges with the wider professional community
- Support internal conversations about leadership backing, capability, data quality and investment
- Identify professional development priorities for individuals and teams
- Understand how AI, climate risk and disruption are translating from sector trends into day-to-day practice
- Bring credible evidence into board, executive and cross-functional discussions about asset management value
Turning member insight into action
The report gives the AM Council a clear, evidence-based picture of where the sector stands, drawn directly from members’ own responses and comments. It surfaces the priorities members care about most and points to where attention is best directed, including extending the Council’s knowledge leadership, turning AI awareness into practical adoption, helping members build leadership and cultural buy-in, moving systems from adoption to real value, strengthening core asset management foundations, and addressing career equity and disruption readiness. Taken together, these insights offer a practical guide to the issues shaping the profession and where members and the Council can focus their efforts next.
These findings will provide an evidence base for continued discussion with members and for shaping resources, education, and advocacy in areas where support can make the greatest difference.
Read the full report
Explore the findings and comparisons with 2024 in The State of Asset Management Sector Report 2026.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the research. Your experience and candour have helped build a clearer picture of the profession and where it needs to go next.