After discovering that 8% of Facilities Managers in the USA were under the age of 35 I set about studying the demographics and how they differed in the Middle East. www.ryandarnell.com

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The
Curious Case of
Aging Facilities Managers:
Global vs Middle East Study

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In 2014 I was alarmed by the aging demographic
statistics presented for the Facilities Management
Industry at a global conference

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“8% of Facilities Managers
are under the age of 35”
(IFMA Foundation: Global Workplace Workforce Initiative, 2014)
I started investigating more…

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“Most IFMA FM’s list 5-10 years till they retire”
“The average age of IFMA Members is 48”
“CIOB found that only 14% of members in
UK surveyed were under the age of 30”
“A JLL Study in 2015 found only 1% of Millennials (born 80’s
to 00’s) are studying FM yet report values, aspirations and
skills consistent with a career in the FM industry”

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So what us causing this demographic & does
this also occur in the Middle East Market?

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I Surveyed the Middle East FM Market to ask…
 What is the demographic split of FM’s in the M.E
 What is their typical career pathway
 What skillsets do they see missing from the industry

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Of those Surveyed…
…almost 40% were under the age of 40

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On Retirement Age…
…54% proposed to retire prior to the age of 65
Age Percentage
45-59 22%
60-64 30%
65-69 36%
70-74 8%
75-79 1%
80+ 1%
54%
46%

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On FM labour shortages…
…62% of 21 to 30 year olds agree

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On FM labour shortages…
…50% of 31 to 40 year olds agree

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Yes
63%
No 21%
Unsure
16%
41 years to 50
On FM labour shortages…
…63% of 41 to 50 year olds agree

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On FM labour shortages…
…69% of 51 to 60 year olds agree

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On FM labour shortages…
…100% of 60+ year olds agree

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Do they believe the industry is tackling this
challenge?
…50% of 21 to 30 year olds agreed

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Do they believe the industry is tackling this
challenge?
…39% of 31 to 40 year olds agreed

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Yes
37%
No
50%
Unsure
13%
41 years to 50
Do they believe the industry is tackling this
challenge?
…37% of 41 to 50 year olds agreed

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Do they believe the industry is tackling this
challenge?
…23% of 51 to 60 year olds agreed

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Do they believe the industry is tackling this
challenge?
…43% of 60+ year olds agreed

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Where did they see skill gaps in the FM Market?

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What was their education?

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planned career choice
16%
transition from a similar
role in the industry
46%
transition from a role in a
different industry
38%
…and how did they enter the FM market?

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So, how did the Middle East market compare?
Aging demographics…
Only slightly better than industry – 9%
below age 30. 61% over age 50

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On career pathway…
84% did not follow study path for FM
39% did not complete technical study

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What skill gaps did they experience?
Management & Leadership,
Technology & People Management

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What action do we need to take as an industry?

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Promote our industry better through ambassadors
Influence school leavers earlier
Develop more defined career pathways
Further develop accreditation to include skill gaps
identified
More focus on knowledge transfer from old to young

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More collaboration with other similar industries
More focus on developing those in
technical roles to progress into FM
Sponsorship of industry at the highest levels
More automation to support declining workforce

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If we fail to act as an industry to attract new talent…
Our industry will become extinct

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About the author: Ryan Darnell
Ryan has more than 12 years of experience in the Facilities Management
Industry starting in hands on roles that have developed across the
commercial, residential, retail, IT and government sectors. As Executive
Director of Facilities Management for Khidmah, Ryan is responsible for all
operations, Health & Safety, Procurement, Sustainability and Project
Management across the portfolio. His clients include Musanada, Aldar, Abu
Dhabi Judiciary Department, Mubadala, Etihad, Environmental Agency Abu
Dhabi, First Gulf Bank along with private residences and offices of members
of the ruling family.
Previously Ryan worked for Seba in Abu Dhabi and Jones Lang LaSalle in
Australia where his clients included IAG, Allianz, Morgan Stanley, EDS,
Deutsche Bank, EMC, Coca Cola, Australian Customs, MLC and Sun
Microsystems. He won several awards at IAG and also won the Young
Facilities Manager Middle East Award in 2009. Ryan is an accredited member
of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, IFMA, FMA Australia &
Middle East Facility Management Association.