The lack of experienced thirty-somethings is due to Generation Xpassing over the industry in the early 1990s because of the creditcrunch and again in the late 1990s in favor of dot-coms and hightech firms in the late 1990s. So instead of having a stable oftalent ready for mid-level and senior management jobs, there's ahole--a hole that will get wider and deeper as Baby Boomer beginretiring over the next five years.

"Part of that generation is lost and we will be paying theprice," said David Jacobstein, a senior advisor to Deloitte &Touche's real estate group, citing statistics from a company whitepaper on the subject that says 50% of senior managers in the realestate industry will be retiring between now and 2010.

While the industry looks to recruit management-level talent fromother industries to fill that imminent hole it is also focused onmaking sure it doesn't happen again by making sure it attracts andretains its fair share of Gen Y, which is just now turning 25, andthe back end of Gen X.