Facilities Management Trends Employers Should Watch

Facilities Management has changed more in the last five years than in the twenty before. Hybrid working emptied offices and then refilled them on different terms, carbon targets moved from the annual report into the plant room, and building data now arrives faster than most teams can use it. For employers, the practical question is not which trends are interesting, but which ones change the FM leader they need to hire.

These are the five we see shaping hiring briefs most often in 2026.

1. FM is judged on cost and value at the same time

Budgets remain the dominant pressure. JLL's 2025 Global State of Facilities Management report found that 84% of FM leaders worldwide name escalating operating costs and budget constraints as their top concern. Yet organisations are still investing: in IWFM's 2025 Market Outlook, 42% of respondents reported an increase in workspace investment and 33% had increased the space they manage.

That combination changes the job. At senior level, running a building well is no longer enough. Employers want FM leaders who can explain to a finance director where the money goes, what it buys and what happens if it is cut. Commercial fluency has moved from a "nice to have" to a selection criterion.

2. Sustainability has become an operational responsibility

The UK Green Building Council attributes 25% of UK emissions directly to the built environment, and estimates that 80% of the buildings that will be occupied in 2050 already exist. Decarbonisation is therefore mostly a job of running existing buildings better, and that sits squarely with FM.

Regulation is reinforcing the point. The Government has proposed that, from 2031, privately rented non-domestic buildings over 1,000 m² in England and Wales must reach EPC B where cost effective. Landlords, occupiers and their FM teams need a plan well before then.

In practice, employers increasingly ask for:

• experience of energy monitoring and reduction programmes;
• an understanding of EPCs, minimum energy efficiency standards and carbon reporting;
• the ability to build a business case for plant replacement or controls upgrades; and
• credibility with sustainability and finance colleagues, not just contractors.

3. Smart buildings only pay off if someone uses the data

Building technology is maturing. The Building Controls Industry Association reports that advanced Class A building energy management systems deliver average energy and carbon savings of around 30%. AI is arriving too: JLL found that 28% of organisations worldwide have embedded AI in their FM operations, rising to 46% of organisations with 100,000 or more employees.

But technology on its own does not change outcomes. The building management system, the CAFM platform and the occupancy sensors all produce data, and someone has to turn it into decisions about maintenance, energy and space. The FM leaders in demand now are not necessarily the most technical. They are the ones who ask the right questions of the data and act on the answers.

4. Workplace experience is part of the brief

Hybrid working has settled into a pattern rather than disappearing. The CIPD reports that 74% of UK organisations have hybrid working in place, and Remit Consulting found that UK office occupancy reached a new high of 44.1% in late January 2026. Offices are used differently: fewer days, busier peaks and more collaboration.

That puts Facilities teams at the centre of decisions about layout, services and how the office earns the commute. Employers now look for FM leaders who can work with HR and the wider business on workplace strategy, not just respond to helpdesk tickets.

5. Outsourcing models are being rethought

Most organisations still outsource some or all of their services, but the model is reviewed more often than it used to be. We see three broad approaches:

• a single Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) contract;
• several specialist contracts managed by an in-house team; and
• a mainly in-house model with specialist support.

Each needs a different kind of leader. An IFM contract needs a strong intelligent client who can hold a large provider to account. A multi-contract model needs someone comfortable coordinating several suppliers and managing the gaps between them. When organisations change model, they often need to change the profile of their FM lead too, and that is one of the most common reasons we are asked to run a search.

What this means for the FM leaders you hire

Put together, these trends are reshaping the profile employers ask us for. Alongside operational and compliance expertise, the strongest candidates now bring:

• commercial and financial fluency;
• practical sustainability and energy experience;
• confidence with building data and technology;
• workplace and stakeholder skills; and
• experience of outsourced or blended delivery models.

Few people have all five, and the shortage is real: in SFG20's 2026 survey, 51% of organisations reported a shortage of FM staff. Employers who decide early which of these capabilities matter most for their estate, rather than asking for all of them, tend to hire faster and better.

Talk to Maxwell Stephens

If you are planning a Facilities Management appointment and want a view on how these trends should shape the role, talk to our team, or see how we have helped organisations with similar appointments.