IWFM: Britain must not just build for growth, it must manage for growth 

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Responding to the government’s 2026 Budget 

IWFM welcomes measures in yesterday’s Budget designed to provide breathing space for businesses and households, alongside investment in infrastructure, energy, technology and skills. The challenge now is ensuring that investment translates into long-term productivity, resilience and growth, writes IWFM CEO Linda Hausmanis. 

Headwinds and Hard Choices could have been the subtitle to today’s Budget. It was in fact the name of IWFM’s 2026 Market Outlook Report which shows that FM organisations are contending with constrained budgets, rising employment and supply costs, persistent skills shortages and weaker confidence.  

Yet it also shows that organisations which continue to invest and adapt are more likely to succeed. This matters in a sector that supports nearly 1.3 million jobs, encompasses around 140,000 UK enterprises and generates approximately £108 billion in annual turnover.  

These issues also matter beyond the sector itself.  FM is the profession responsible for helping the buildings, workplaces and infrastructure in which the government is investing perform effectively throughout their lives. It has been suggested that for roughly every £1 spent designing and constructing a building, £9 is spent occupying, managing, maintaining and improving it. 

So Britain must not just build for growth, it must also manage for growth. That means enabling organisations to keep investing in people, skills and technology. 

It also means recognising that better-performing and more energy-efficient buildings are fundamental to reducing costs, managing risk and strengthening the resilience and productivity of UK organisations. 

The message from our research is clear: in uncertain times, standing still is itself a risk. Government, employers and our profession now need to turn today's investment into tomorrow's performance. 

Six messages for members  

FM professionals have an increasingly important role to play in turning investment in buildings, infrastructure and technology into productivity, resilience and long-term value. 

1. Your role in organisational productivity is becoming more important 

Organisations remain under pressure to control costs while improving performance. For FM professionals, that means demonstrating not simply what things cost, but the value they create through productive workplaces, efficient assets, reduced risk and better organisational performance. 

2. Skills equal career resilience  

The IWFM 2026 Market Outlook Survey identifies skills shortages as a significant constraint on the sector, while organisations prioritise capability in compliance and safety, leadership, technical skills, sustainability and energy management.  

Continuing professional development is becoming more, not less, important. Those who can combine technical FM knowledge with commercial, digital and leadership capability will be better placed as organisations adapt. 

3. Digital capability is becoming core FM capability 

Technology and data are the two strongest positive drivers of FM growth identified by IWFM’s research, with BIM and IoT among the leading investment priorities.  

You don't need to become an AI or data scientist, but you do need to understand how AI, automation, IoT and data impact asset performance, predictive maintenance, workspace utilisation, energy efficiency and decision-making. 

4. Energy management is now a business skill 

Energy prices remain one of the biggest negative pressures identified by FM professionals, with 64% of Market Outlook respondents identifying them as having a negative impact on the sector. The ability to connect energy efficiency and carbon reduction with cost, risk and resilience will increasingly strengthen your influence with senior decision-makers. 

5. New infrastructure means new opportunity for FM 

Government investment in housing, infrastructure, energy and technology ultimately creates assets that need to be operated, maintained, kept safe and compliant, and optimised throughout their lives. FM should be part of the conversation much earlier, helping organisations think about whole-life performance rather than simply taking responsibility once construction finishes. For anyone currently considering the development of this new infrastructure, get FM teams involved at the start of the plan so they can help develop how things will work in operation.

and to FM organisations… 

6. Don't let uncertainty lead to professional retreat

IWFM’s Market Outlook report finds a strong relationship between organisations prepared to invest in technology and skills and those succeeding in a difficult market.  

So in an uncertain economy, standing still is not the lowest-risk option. Invest in your skills, understand the technology reshaping the profession, and make the case for FM in terms of productivity, resilience and value.