The Australian facilities management industry is attracting more women to its ranks with 28% of the FM workforce now female, up from 19% in 2012-13 according to the latest FM Industry Census.
This represents the largest improvement in gender diversity since the Census began five years ago.
The industry is also getting younger with 38% of practitioners now under 40.
Run by Facilities Management Association of Australia (FMA) and sponsored by Programmed Facility Management, the FMA Industry Census provides valuable insights into a growing sector and provides a snapshot of the current industry. This year, 420 respondents across Australia and New Zealand shared their insights.
FMA Chief Executive Nicholas Burt said the results reflected a changing industry that was attracting a broader talent base. “The access to the data captured through this year’s Census will allow the Association to map a five year trend in some important areas,” he said.
Other key positive trends include a growth in portfolios comprising 21 to 100 buildings and a positive perception of the industry’s ability to manage health and safety.
When asked to identify top opportunities for the industry, advances in technology was the most popular response.
Other top opportunities nominated were ‘building information modelling’ (67.6% from 83%) and ‘mandatory reporting of energy performance’ (64.3% from 74.2%), which presents the same top three current opportunities as in 2016, albeit with a little less optimism.
Education levels in the sector remain mixed, with no overall trends however the Census saw the greatest proportion of practitioners with a diploma as their highest level of education at 31%.
The greatest current weakness for the industry was seen as ‘attracting and retaining appropriately skilled staff’ (50.8%) followed by ‘aligning FM services with the delivery of strategic outcomes/organisational needs’ (37.7%) and ‘carbon management’ (37.2%).
The FMA Industry Census report will be released at the end of June. To register to receive a full copy, click here. In the meantime, check out the below infographic for a sneak peak of what you can expect to find in the full report.
