the curious case of aging facilities managers: a middle east study

© ryandarnell.com

The Curious Case of

Aging Facilities Managers:Global vs Middle East Study

© ryandarnell.com 2

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


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

I started investigating more…


“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”


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


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


Of those Surveyed…

…almost 40% were under the age of 40


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%


On FM labour shortages…

…62% of 21 to 30 year olds agree


Yes63%

No 21%

Unsure16%

41 years to 50





…100% of 60+ year olds agree


Do they believe the industry is tackling this challenge?

…50% of 21 to 30 year olds agreed


Yes37%

No50%

Unsure13%

41 years to 50





…43% of 60+ year olds agreed


Management & LeadershipTechnology

People ManagementSustainability

Project ManagementInnovation

Security & SafetyOperations & Maintenance

Quality ControlClient Relationship Management

Management of Service ProvidersFinancial Management

Inventory Management & PurchasingReal Estate

Communications and Marketing

The deficiencies/gaps you see with current FM competencies

Where did they see skill gaps in the FM Market?


What was their education?


planned career choice16%

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?


So, how did the Middle East market compare?

Aging demographics…

Only slightly better than industry – 9% below age 30. 61% over age 50


On career pathway…

84% did not follow study path for FM 39% did not complete technical study


What skill gaps did they experience?

Management & Leadership, Technology & People Management


What action do we need to take as an industry?


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


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


If we fail to act as an industry to attract new talent…

Our industry will become extinct


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.

the curious case of aging facilities managers: a middle east study

Leadership & Management

fm industry

year olds

fm labour shortages

different industry

facilities management

middle east fm market

age percentage

retirement age