As 2026 approaches, the UK’s facilities management (FM) sector finds itself at a crossroads. On one hand, demand for FM services is rising – industry research predicts the UK FM market will grow by over 18% from 2022 to 2027, adding thousands of new facilities management jobs. The government’s new Invest 2035 industrial strategy underscores the focus on high-quality, well-paid jobs to drive growth, with skills development at the heart of this 10-year plan.

On the other hand, firms face an acute talent shortage. An ageing workforce and too few new entrants have left employers across the country struggling to hire FM talent in the UK. In fact, over two-thirds (68%) of FM leaders say it’s challenging to hire and retain skilled staff. These facilities management workforce shortages are forcing employers to rethink how they attract and keep top FM professionals. Simply raising salaries – the traditional quick fix – is not a sustainable solution. To thrive in 2026’s competitive FM jobs market, employers must take a strategic, multifaceted approach. Below, we outline five proven strategies to attract and retain the FM talent you need. At MostonRECRUIT, we’re seeing the direct impact of this market shift every day; employers are competing harder than ever for skilled FM professionals.

1. Strengthen Your FM Employer Value Proposition (Beyond Pay)

To stand out in a tight labour market, companies need a compelling employer value proposition (EVP) that goes beyond just pay. Competitive salaries and benefits are baseline expectations – especially when nearly 60% of UK employers have had to adjust wages upward amid skill shortages.

But while compensation must be fair, attracting and retaining FM professionals also means highlighting what makes your organisation and roles special. Emphasise the impact and importance of FM roles in your company’s success. Facilities management professionals keep businesses running safely, sustainably, and efficiently – make sure candidates understand how valued their contribution will be. Promote any unique projects (e.g. sustainability initiatives, smart building implementations) or state-of-the-art technologies your FM team gets to work with. This helps position your openings as exciting facilities management jobs in 2026 rather than stagnant back-office roles.

Equally, showcase your company culture and values. Today’s top candidates – especially younger entrants who could fill the pipeline gap – want to work for organisations with a purpose and positive culture. Do you prioritise employee well-being, community involvement, or innovation? Incorporate those into your branding for FM roles.

For example, if your estates team is critical to achieving net-zero or “green building” goals, trumpet that mission. Leverage testimonials or success stories of current FM staff to bring authenticity to your EVP (e.g. “Our FM engineers directly contributed to a 20% energy reduction across our sites – work with us to drive sustainable change.”). In short, sell the opportunity, not just the paycheck. When you combine a competitive package with an appealing mission and work environment, you become far more attractive to scarce FM talent.

(Note: The “just pay more” approach alone isn’t enough – 68% of FM leaders still struggle to fill roles despite rising wages. The goal is to differentiate your organisation as an employer of choice in FM, offering growth, purpose, and appreciation in addition to fair pay.)

2. Offer Clear Career Development and Upskilling Pathways

Lack of advancement is a deal-breaker for many professionals – and a major driver of turnover. One of the best ways to retain FM professionals is to invest in their career development. Map out clear progression routes (e.g. from Facilities Coordinator → Facilities Manager → Head of Estates) so that new hires and existing staff can envision a future with your organisation. Then make good on it: provide regular training, mentorship, and stretch opportunities to help employees grow. This not only fills skill gaps internally but also boosts morale. Workers are far more likely to stay when they see their employer investing in their development.

Importantly, upskilling isn’t just a “nice to have” – it’s becoming an urgent priority across the UK. In a late-2024 REC poll of 233 employers, 57% said building skills and upskilling staff should be the top workforce priority. Why? Because most of the people who will be in the 2035 workforce are already employed today.

Companies recognise that developing existing employees is crucial to meeting future skill needs, especially in fields like FM where technical requirements are evolving fast. Employers looking to bridge that gap should consider structured training routes via partners like the University of the Built Environment (UBE), which works directly with employers to deliver bespoke upskilling pathways, industry qualifications, and workplace-based learning for FM teams. UBE’s programmes can be integrated into staff development plans – ideal for facilities and estates teams looking to gain IWFM-aligned credentials or hands-on technical training that improves operational capability.

You can also bolster internal development by supporting certifications (e.g. NEBOSH, F-Gas, IOSH), providing cross-training in energy management or IoT-based building systems, or offering secondments across sites to expand on-the-job learning.

Don’t forget to emphasise these opportunities when recruiting. Top candidates for facilities management jobs in 2026 will gravitate to employers who offer real growth. Highlight training programmes, apprenticeship routes, or partnerships like those with UBE in your job descriptions and interviews. For instance: “We partner with UBE and provide 40 hours of professional development per year – over 70% of our FM leaders were promoted from within.”

This signals that joining your organisation is not just a job, but a career. Internally, an upskilling culture improves retention and engagement – employees feel invested in. In short, make structured talent development a key part of your employer brand. It pays off in loyalty, operational resilience, and long-term workforce capability.

3. Build an Inclusive Employer Brand and Culture

A strong employer brand today must include a genuine commitment to diversity and inclusion. Embracing inclusive hiring practices in the UK isn’t just about fairness – it directly expands your talent pool and improves performance. Business leaders increasingly recognise that diverse teams drive better decision-making and innovation.

For example, nearly 9 in 10 tech leaders in London say that hiring and retaining a diverse workforce is vital for innovation and growth. The FM industry is no different: when your workforce reflects a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, you gain a wider range of ideas for problem-solving and a more attractive environment for top talent (who want to belong and be accepted at work).

Inclusive Hiring Trend 2022–2025: A recent REC survey shows that key inclusive recruitment practices have surged in adoption after 2022. 51% of UK employers were using diverse interview panels – a sharp rise from around 35% the year before – and 33.5% were using name-blind CV screening, up from just 21.5% in 2024. Use of inclusive job advert wording also rebounded to about 52% of employers, and 47.9% explicitly stated an interest in diverse candidates in their recruitment, up from 39.5% in 2024.

This renewed focus on inclusive hiring practices in the UK suggests employers are making diversity a foundation of their recruitment strategy, not just a box-ticking exercise. Embracing measures like these can vastly expand an FM employer’s talent pool and boost your reputation among underrepresented candidates.

Practically speaking, there are several inclusive hiring tactics FM employers should implement: name-blind CVs (removing names and other identifiers from resumes to mitigate unconscious bias), inclusive language in job descriptions (avoiding gendered or exclusionary terms), and diverse interview panels (ensuring interviewers come from different backgrounds, which can make candidates feel more welcome and reduce one-dimensional judgments).

The REC’s 2024 survey found many employers had fallen behind on these practices – for instance, 74.8% were not using name-blind CVs and 61.7% were not using diverse panels in their hiring. However, by 2025 the trend reversed, with record highs adopting these tools. The message is clear: inclusive hiring is increasingly standard practice for forward-thinking companies.

London has emerged as an inclusion hotspot driving this change. The capital’s diverse workforce and progressive business community give it a real advantage in inclusive recruitment. Nearly half of London business leaders say the city’s diversity is a major asset, even allowing them to attract top talent from abroad where inclusive hiring is less prioritised.

And 61% of London tech firms reported making inclusive recruitment and retention significantly more of a priority in the past year. It helps you hire FM talent UK companies might otherwise overlook, and creates a culture that encourages those hires to stay.

Ultimately, building an inclusive employer brand – one that actively welcomes all genders, ethnicities, ages, and backgrounds – will broaden your candidate pipeline and strengthen retention through a sense of belonging. In 2026’s tight labour market, no FM employer can afford to ignore this strategy.

4. Prioritise Retention through Engagement, Flexibility and Recognition

Attracting talent is only half the battle; retaining your FM professionals is equally crucial. High turnover will undermine even the best recruiting efforts, so employers must double down on keeping the staff they have. Start by ensuring your compensation remains competitive as mentioned – retention is far cheaper than constantly backfilling roles, and competitors may lure your experienced people with higher pay if you fall behind.

Conduct regular salary benchmarking for key FM positions and adjust where needed to stay in line with market rates (MostonRECRUIT provides salary benchmarking for roles to help employers attract the right talent). But beyond pay, focus on the factors that truly drive engagement and loyalty: recognition, work-life balance, and a positive work environment.

FM roles can be demanding – 24/7 critical sites, emergency call-outs, etc. Wherever possible, offer flexibility to help employees manage their work-life balance. This could mean flexible start/end times, a compressed week, or smarter on-call rotations. Some organisations allow certain FM staff to work remotely on documentation or admin days, which can be a perk. Demonstrating care for employees’ well-being builds loyalty.

Alongside flexibility, invest in employee wellness (health benefits, mental health support) and foster a supportive team culture. Strong leadership and communication are key here – make sure your facilities managers and directors are checking in with their teams, holding regular one-to-ones, and listening to feedback. People leave managers, not companies, so train your line managers in effective, empathetic leadership.

Another retention lever is recognition and career progression (tying back to Strategy 2). Implement programs to acknowledge great performance – whether through formal awards, spot bonuses, or even just public praise in team meetings. Feeling appreciated boosts morale immensely. Ensure that promotions and internal hiring favor your existing talent where possible; let your team see that hard work is rewarded with advancement.

Clear internal career pathways help employees envision a future with you (e.g. a technician can become a supervisor, then a contract manager). Providing transparent advancement opportunities and cultivating an inclusive, respectful workplace are critical to holding onto staff. When people see a long-term trajectory and feel valued day-to-day, they’re far less likely to jump ship.

Finally, consider conducting “stay interviews” with your key FM personnel – ask what matters most to them and if they feel anything is lacking. You might discover simple fixes that prevent resignations. The bottom line: make retention a strategic priority. It requires ongoing effort to engage, reward, and support your employees, but it pays off in continuity and the accumulated experience of your team.

As our own MostonRECRUIT FM division has observed, employers who focus on retention (through competitive rewards, advancement, and culture) significantly reduce their turnover. In a climate of skills scarcity, keeping your proven performers happy is absolutely vital. Not only will you “stop the bleed” of talent, but a stable, satisfied workforce will make recruiting new talent easier (job seekers can sense high turnover versus a happy team). Retain your FM professionals, and they will in turn attract others to join.

5. Embrace Smart Recruitment Strategies and Leverage AI Technology

When it comes to attracting top FM talent, how you recruit in 2026 should look very different than it did a decade ago. Traditional hiring methods alone – passive job ads, paper CV screenings – often fail to uncover the niche-skilled candidates needed in FM today. Employers should modernise their recruitment approach, making use of data-driven tools and specialist partnerships to gain an edge.

One big trend in recruitment trends 2026 UK is the rise of AI and automation in hiring. Nearly half (48%) of UK recruitment agencies have now adopted some form of AI technology in their recruitment process, up from just 32% in 2021. These tools can dramatically speed up tasks like CV parsing, candidate matching, and even initial outreach. By leveraging AI-driven applicant tracking systems or talent platforms, you can scan larger pools of candidates (including passive job seekers), filter for specific FM skills/certifications, and identify good fits much faster than manual methods. The result is a more efficient hiring funnel – critical when good candidates are snapped up quickly.

Another smart strategy is to partner with specialist recruiters that focus on the FM sector. Given the hard-to-fill nature of many FM roles, a general “post and pray” approach on mainstream job boards may not cut it. Specialist recruitment agencies (like our team at MostonRECRUIT) maintain curated networks of FM professionals and passive candidates. We spend years building relationships in the FM field – which means when you have an opening, we can quickly tap into a pool of pre-vetted talent that isn’t accessible through typical channels.

MostonRECRUIT’s Facilities Management recruitment team, for instance, uses AI-driven candidate matching alongside our human expertise to connect employers with top FM candidates in record time. By combining technology with deep sector knowledge, we help clients shorten time-to-hire and find better fits. Engaging a specialist partner can also free you to focus on running your operations while the talent search is handled efficiently. In today’s climate – where 60% of employers cite skills shortages as their biggest recruitment challenge – tapping into every innovative recruiting method available is just smart business.

Lastly, don’t neglect your employer branding and recruitment marketing. Leverage social media (especially LinkedIn or industry forums) to showcase your FM team’s achievements and advertise roles in a more targeted way. Consider virtual recruitment events or webinars on “Careers in FM at [Your Company]” to proactively attract talent. Make sure your application process is mobile-friendly and streamlined – a clunky apply process will drive candidates away.

And as always, speed is of the essence: with so much competition, aim to shorten your hiring cycle by cutting red tape, using tools for quick background checks, and being ready to make an offer when you see a great candidate. In short, modern recruitment in 2026 is about being proactive, tech-enabled, and candidate-centric. Embrace these approaches and you’ll fill roles faster with higher-quality hires.

The facilities management talent landscape in 2026 will continue to challenge employers – but with the right strategies, you can absolutely win the battle for top talent. In summary, focus on enhancing your EVP to make FM roles attractive, developing your people so they stay and grow, fostering an inclusive culture that widens your reach, engaging and rewarding your team to improve retention, and innovating your recruitment process with technology and partnerships. These recruitment trends of 2026 underscore that UK employers must adapt and think strategically to hire and retain the best FM professionals. The payoff for getting it right is huge: a strong FM team gives your organisation a competitive advantage in efficiency, compliance, and innovation.