The document discusses changing demographics in the facilities management profession. It finds that the traditional stereotype of male facilities managers aged 40-60 from maintenance or engineering backgrounds is outdated. New facilities managers show greater diversity in terms of gender and backgrounds, with many entering the field directly from university or customer service roles. While an aging workforce remains a challenge, recruiters believe facilities management is becoming a more attractive career path that appeals to younger and more ambitious professionals of both genders.

1. 26 | 21 MAY 2015 | FM WORLD www.fm-world.co.uk
PAY & PROSPECTS FM’S CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS KEVIN STANLEY
The stereotype of a facilities manager – male, aged 40 to 60, from a trade
or M&E background – no longer rings true, as our survey demonstrates
WHATFMsLOOKLIKE–
IKON
CHANGEISAFOOT
26_30_Demographic.indd 2626_30_Demographic.indd 26 15/05/2015 14:3215/05/2015 14:32

2. FM WORLD | 21 MAY 2015 | 27www.fm-world.co.uk
FM’S CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS
T
he facilities management
workforce is evolving,
with some recruitment
consultancies telling us
that new FMs represent
something closer to a 50/50
male/female split, while routes
into the sector – from service
backgrounds such as customer
service and hospitality, or
directly from university – are
helping to dissolve some well-
worn stereotypes.
In this year’s salary survey
more than 6 per cent of
respondents reported having
been in FM for under two years –
compared with 3 per cent of our
2014 respondents. Most (78 per
cent) have been in FM for more
than four years, and more than
half boast in excess of nine years
in the profession. But as we see
more younger practitioners, we
are also seeing a tailing off in the
number of FMs with 20 or more
years’ service, down from 20 to
18 per cent year on year.
Those entering FM directly
from university are helping bring
down the median age – albeit not
quickly enough for some.
“The BIFM’s surveys prove
the age shift in the profession
is favouring the 25-35 bracket,”
comments Don Searle, projects &
contracts manager at recruitment
consultancy Catch 22.
“But the industry has an
imbalance in the older age group,
between 50-65, where ‘lifers’ are
at the top of their profession and
likely to stay until retirement.
There will be a shortfall at
the top of the profession in
the next 10 years or so unless
FM providers put some senior
succession planning into place.
“The organisations that
stimulate the market – in our
case large FM providers – need
to establish a conveyor belt
of talent at every level of
their organisations to ensure
continuity,” argues Searle.
“There’s been a move towards
organisations using in-house
recruiters, and many of those
have expressed support for
apprenticeship schemes – but
in the medium term, service
providers need to drive the
on-boarding process by
displaying FM as a profession
with prospects.”
Our salary survey bears out
Searle’s concerns. The proportion
of respondents entering the FM
profession from building services
or engineering is consistent with
previous findings, gradually
reducing and currently at 17
per cent. Office management
and administration accounted
for a further 15 per cent of
respondents, with 9 per cent
coming to FM from the armed
forces.
A third of the female FM
professionals we surveyed
entered the industry from office
management, compared with just
6 per cent of male respondents.
Searle ascribes the growth
in female FMs to a number
of factors. “The focus of FM
as a whole has shifted from
being a reactive service to one
that anticipates its clients’
requirements. FM starts at
reception rather than the plant
room, and opportunities to lead
this service have encouraged
more women to consider FM as
a career.”
Despite the younger age profile
of our respondents this year,
6 per cent said they were in their
first role after leaving full-time
education compared with
8 per cent in the 2014 survey.
But Gary Binder, section
manager at recruitment company
PRS, says FM today is far from
the old cliché of a role into which
people ‘fall’.
“There are now a lot of
younger and more ambitious
people in the industry, both male
and female,” he says. “FM is now
a career with its own pathway.
Companies are increasingly keen
to capture talented individuals and
give them broad career experience
before allowing them to focus on
a business stream that suits their
skill set best.”
There remains a fine line
between the value of education
compared with experience, and
it’s one that can be dependent on
who is controlling the recruitment
process, says Binder.
Right now, recruiters see FM
increasingly moving to becoming a
profession with a customer-centric
mentality. FMs are increasingly
required to demonstrate top-class
customer service skills.
“A lot of new FMs are coming
into the sector from client-facing
roles within hospitality, five-star
DO YOU AGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS?
20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Agree
Disagree
My employer:
Offers excellent
succession planning and
career opportunities
Always encourages equal
opportunities and diversity
Has a high
turnover of staff
Has a high degree of staff
morale and a strong sense
of belonging
Does everything to
empower staff wherever
possible in order to make
their own decisions
Has a strong public image
and performs well against
competitors
Offers exit interviews
to all staff who
leave the company
Offers a competitive
salary and package
compared to other
organisations in the
facilities market
Offers staff the
opportunity to work
flexibly, both in terms of
time and location, where
possible
“Alotofnew
FMscomeinto
thesectorfrom
client-facing
roleswithin
hospitality,
five-starhotel
andairline
businesses”
26_30_Demographic.indd 2726_30_Demographic.indd 27 15/05/2015 14:3215/05/2015 14:32

3. FM WORLD | 21 MAY 2015 | 29www.fm-world.co.uk
FM’S CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS
in terms of the culture fit –
there’s a greater focus on front-
of-house and meet-and-greet
skills. First impressions within
corporate environments are
especially important.”
It’s not just the human
dimensions. A focus on
CERTIFICATION
OTHERQUALIFICATIONS
Many respondents to the FM World Salary Survey
hold a number of qualifications from both inside
and outside the sector. Fifteen per cent are
studying for, or currently hold, a BIFM Level 4
qualification, 5 per cent hold Level 5 and 2 per cent
hold Level 6. Seven per cent of respondents hold
BIFM qualifications under the former qualification
system.
A third of facilities professionals also hold a
Nebosh qualification, and nearly half (44 per cent)
are IOSH-qualified.
One in five has completed a bachelor’s degree in
a non FM-related discipline, and 12 per cent hold an
NVQ Level 3 in a non FM-related area.
BIFM membership was quoted by 46 per cent
of respondents, with certified membership of
the institute rising year on year to 15 per cent. A
third of respondents are associate members of
the institute, while the number of BIFM corporate
member organisations continues to rise – 9 per
cent are now in this bracket.
hotels and airlines,” says Nikki
Dallas of Talent FM.
“They have the training to be
client-facing and are the sort
of people who will always give
the client what they want, with
nothing too much trouble. Clients
are increasingly more demanding
BACKGROUND BEFORE FM
“FMstartsatreceptionratherthan
theplantroom.Opportunitiestolead
thisservicehaveencouragedmore
femalestoconsiderFMasacareer”
Accounts / finance / law 5%
Architecture / interior design 1%
Armed forces 13%
Building services / engineering 24%
Civil service including prison service 3%
Construction 6%
Customer services 3%
Hotel and leisure 3%
IT services 3%
Office manager / administration 6%
Property 4%
Purchasing 1%
Retail 3%
Sales and marketing 3%
Soft services, such as catering
or security 7%
This is my first job after leaving
full-time education 5%
Other 10%
Accounts / finance / law 5%
Architecture / interior design 0%
Armed forces 0%
Building services / engineering 1%
Civil service including prison service 0%
Construction 2%
Customer services 6%
Hotel and leisure 11%
IT services 1%
Office manager / administration 35%
Property 6%
Purchasing 0%
Retail 3%
Sales and marketing 3%
Soft services, such as catering
or security 2%
This is my first job after leaving
full-time education 7%
Other 15%
sustainability issues will also set
FMs apart.
“As the push for greater
sustainability increases, more
people are beginning to specialise
in energy management and
sustainability,” says Chris
Moriarty, the head of insight and
corporate affairs with BIFM.
“The role of energy manager
within the FM team will grow as
more people become involved in
sustainability.”
Peter Forshaw, managing
director at recruitment
consultancy Maxwell Stephens,
believes that as we see these
demographic shifts from old
to young, organisations may
struggle on the technical and
engineering side because of
a massive shortage of skilled
people. He hopes to see more
schemes launched to attract new
skilled people into the sector.
As for now, “the industry is
so diverse that it can be very
challenging from a recruitment
point of view,” says Forshaw.
“It’s hard to predict which new
jobs roles might appear as FM is
becoming so broad now. We’ve
recently seen a merging of
disciplines and roles becoming
dual-focused, for example, head
of facilities and IT or health and
MALE FEMALE
26_30_Demographic.indd 2926_30_Demographic.indd 29 15/05/2015 14:3315/05/2015 14:33

4. 30 | 21 MAY 2015 | FM WORLD www.fm-world.co.uk
PAY & PROSPECTS FM’S CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS KEVIN STANLEY
safety, and FM roles that include
elements of environmental and
sustainability management.”
Martin Davies, training
manager at BIFM Training,
believes the profession has
become demonstrably more
professional. “There’s a career
path benefiting from training
and qualifications at all levels
and across all specialisms within
FM, most of which simply wasn’t
available in the past.
“Employers are already looking
to hire people who either have
FM qualifications or are working
towards them. It’s going to be
increasingly difficult to ‘fall
into’ FM unless candidates
have the right qualifications or
the willingness to undertake
them and further learning and
development.”
ORGANISATIONS
OTHERMEMBERSHIPSWith so much written about FM’s wider role within organisations and its
place in wellbeing and workplace initiatives, the more prosaic factors of
day-to-day FM life are evidenced by our respondents’ memberships of
organisations other than the BIFM. For example, over a third identified
themselves as members of IOSH, the Institution of Occupational Safety
and Health (37 per cent), a figure slightly up on surveys in previous years.
Other popular memberships include those for the Chartered
Management Institute (14 per cent), the Chartered Institute of Building
Services and Engineers (14 per cent) and the Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors (13 per cent). The Chartered Institute of Purchasing
and Supply (5 per cent), and the British Institute of Cleaning Science
(5 per cent) were also represented. Some 4 per cent were also members
of the Institute of Directors.
The shifting demographics
within FM, if occurring at
too slow a rate for some,
are nevertheless a cause for
excitement. As older FMs leave
the industry, knowledge and
experience is lost. But as the new
generation enters in their place
“Therearenow
alotofyounger
andmore
ambitiouspeople
intheindustry,
bothmaleand
female”
Member grade 46%
Associate33%
Certified member 15%
Large enterprise corporate member 5%
Fellow 1%
Honorary fellow 0%
Small enterprise corporate member 4%
Accounts / finance / law 5%
Architecture / interior design 1%
Armed forces 7%
Building services / engineering 14%
Civil service including prison service 2%
Construction 6%
Customer services 4%
Hotel and leisure 6%
IT services 1%
Office manager / administration 21%
Property 4%
Purchasing 2%
Retail 4%
Sales and marketing 1%
Soft services such as catering or security 5%
This is my first job after leaving full-time education 5%
Other 10%
– full of enthusiasm and aided
by the emergence of a defined
career path – the opportunities
they have are considerable. FM
SERVICE PROVIDER RESPONSE TO SURVEY IN-HOUSE RESPONSE TO SURVEY
RESPONDENTS’ BIFM MEMBERSHIP LEVEL
Total FM and managed services 68%
Consultancy (FM/Property) 8%
Hard FM services 11%
Soft FM services 13%
26_30_Demographic.indd 3026_30_Demographic.indd 30 15/05/2015 14:5115/05/2015 14:51