Campaign, Train And Retain: Overcoming FM Recruitment Challenges

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• Campaign, Train And Retain: Overcoming FM Recruitment Challenges

10 March 2026 | Updated 09 March 2026

Adam Atkins, Group Chief Executive at Coat Facilities Group, looks at ongoing challenges with recruitment in FM, why the sector needs to take clear action to address them and provides some insight into key solutions. 

The future of the facilities management industry depends on a steady influx of new talent which can be honed to produce the leaders of tomorrow, alongside the retention of already skilled staff trained to provide the very best service. Yet there are ongoing challenges which see FM leaders struggling to recruit into vacant roles; there are no overnight fixes, but it is clear that the sector as a whole must act now to salvage the situation and ensure continuity, compliance and competence are maintained and that the standard of service provision does not decline.

The Will To Work

A core aspect of recruitment into any industry is ensuring that the pipeline of willing candidates remains healthy: giving companies the opportunity to select the most promising prospects to train and develop. Whilst individual businesses must ensure their offering meets expectations in terms of working conditions, salary and perks, there is also a collective responsibility to promote the industry and incentivise those choosing a potential career to consider FM.

A RICS UK survey saw three quarters of managers report difficulties in sourcing staff for building operation and maintenance roles, with 40% reporting similar issues when looking for property management team members. The result is that the ECITB Labour Forecasting Tool indicates tens of thousands of additional people are needed to fill gaps caused by retirement and increased project demand.

So, how do we attract candidates and meet employee expectations while also ensuring business needs are met? It may be difficult to offer completely flexible working patterns or locations, especially for those in field-based roles, but where possible leaders should consider how and where they can flex – especially given all of the indications are that Gen Z and Millennial workers (who now collectively make up more than half of the UK’s workforce) are more likely to request flexibility than generations before them. For example, one FlexJobs survey found 79% wanted more remote working options.

However, a Deloitte study saw learning and development opportunities ranked as the top reason why both Gen Zs and Millennials would choose a specific employer – and this is where all FM companies can rise to the challenge. The rapidly developing technology being utilised within the sector means new skills are consistently needed, and the range of roles which fall under the umbrella of facilities management means there are always opportunities to diversify and take on additional responsibilities.

Given this is a core driver for those entering the workforce, it also needs to be a priority for the sector – not only when advertising to fill specific vacancies, but also to promote the message as loudly and consistently as possible that an FM career is absolutely congruent with the idea of continuous professional development.

The Skill To Work

Of course, attracting new talent into the industry is only one piece of the jigsaw – there are also more senior frontline and technical roles which require existing skills and knowledge to maintain high levels of service delivery. Which brings us to another major challenge being faced, not only by the FM sector but by most businesses which require workers who possess practical skills.

A reported 27% of vacancies are due to the national skills shortage, according to the UK Employer Skills Survey, with construction being the worst-affected industry – highly relevant given the overlap in talent the two sectors are effectively competing for.

With building owners relying on FM providers to meet increasingly complex compliance requirements, as well as rapidly adapting to the implementation and maintenance of evolving technologies, there must be two core priorities: upskilling talent to meet today’s demands and close the skills gap; and retaining existing teams to avoid losing talent to industries such as energy or data centres.

Cost And Competition

A reported 41% of firms are offering better pay and benefits to address recruitment challenges, according to CIPD, but in a time of continued economic challenges, this puts an increased strain on the finances of FM providers. Add to this the need to rely on agencies to fill roles short-term, and the time (and associated cost) of the recruitment process for managers, and there is a real pressure to fill gaps as quickly as possible – which is at direct odds with the skills shortage and need to attract new talent into the sector, both of which are not ‘quick fix’ challenges.

Of course, without an endless pool of candidates to choose from, we then also see increased competition – not only between FM providers but also with businesses from adjacent sectors – to attract the top talent. If companies in the engineering or infrastructure sphere, for example, are able to offer higher salaries, more benefits, and also have opportunities for career progression, then the risk is not just that a candidate will opt to work for another FM company, but that they will turn their back on the sector altogether.

Campaign, Train, Retain

While challenging, the recruitment issues within the FM sector are not insurmountable – the industry as a whole can and should do more to attract new talent into the sector, working with education providers and training centres to highlight the variety of roles and opportunities available when choosing a career in facilities management. Through a sustained and well-structured campaign of awareness raising, FM can elevate its status when the talent of tomorrow is considering its choices.

This needs to be backed up by a robust schedule of training, to help alleviate the skills gap by providing less experienced staff with the knowledge and on-the-job experience they will need to progress to the next levels in their career.

And once a team member has been upskilled, or an already experienced person has accepted a job, the work continues – this time to up retention rates and hold on to talent, not only within that specific company, but within the sector as a whole.

Investment is needed, both of time and money, and that can be difficult when leaders are firefighting their way through pressing day-to-day issues. But long-term, this focus on campaigning, training and retaining is the only way to sustain the industry going forward, ensuring compliant buildings, a competent workforce and a challenge successfully overcome.

Picture: An image of Adam Atkins, Group Chief Executive at Coat Facilities Group.

Article written by Dave Mapps | Published 10 March 2026

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