Labor shortages are rocketing demand for facilities management software skills

Current labor shortages in facilities management (FM) have cast a spotlight on the software and technologies that the industry has generally been slow to adopt.

FM teams, already depleted by the pandemic and early retirements, will struggle in the years ahead from the continued exodus of aging FMs and the paucity of new entrants to the field. Software and technologies and the efficiencies they create will be essential for meeting demand as work order volumes return to pre-pandemic levels.

Per the 2022 FM Training Outlook Survey by ProFMI, an industry certification sponsor:

• 66% of FMs and staff have left or have considered leaving their job in the past year
• 54% of corporate leaders expect to have open FM-related positions at all levels of the organization this year
• 86% of FM employers say there’s a gap between their team’s current knowledge and skills and what they need to excel

FM software skills are more important than ever

Innovations in facilities management, whether for workflow efficiencies, sustainability, energy management, mobile apps, or integrations, are all software-based. They automate, accelerate, and sometimes eliminate time-consuming manual processes so that FM teams can be more productive.

A Corrigo customer recently reported that 90% of its 25,000 annual work orders never touch human hands. Software makes that possible by automating not-to-exceed thresholds and invoice approvals.

The impact of chronic and widespread understaffing in FM will only be countered by productivity gains from FM software. Consequently, the value of software skills has skyrocketed. They’re no longer just nice to have. They’re essential for performing the FM job role.

A JLL recruiter for facilities management positions confirmed that competence with FM software, like a CMMS, EAM, or IWMS, is an employer expectation. Moreover, advanced use of the software is necessary to fully exploit its potential. Facilities managers should be able to use the data from a CMMS, for example, to generate reports, inform budgets, justify capital expenditures, and calculate ROI.

What an FM recruiter could tell us about FM skills

JLLT’s recent webinar, Essential skills for modern facilities managers, addresses today’s competitive hiring market through the eyes of a seasoned FM recruiter.

Watch our on-demand webinar replay to discover:

• The FM skills and experience that get immediate attention—and fast-tracked hiring—from recruiters
• Smart and economical ways for closing knowledge and skill gaps that unnecessarily hinder FM career mobility and success
• Why demand has gone through the roof for certain FM specialties and why talent there is so scarce

It’s rare that a recruiter has a stage for sharing what every FM practitioner should know about the opportunities present in today’s competitive FM job market.

Watch the on-demand webinar video now to take advantage of a recruiter’s inside knowledge of FM hiring and current in-demand skills.