IFMA Releases Global Facility Management Pulse Report
The International Facility Management Association’s new report introduces the FM Workload Index and shows rising workload expectations for facility professionals worldwide.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Jan 20, 2026
The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and the Simplar Foundation have released the Facility Management Pulse Report, a new global benchmark designed to track trends in facility management workloads, budgets, staffing, and project activity.
The report introduces IFMA’s Facility Management Workload Index (FMWI), a new metric that measures expected changes in facility management workload over the next year. The index is based on responses to IFMA’s Q3 2025 Facility Management Index and Economic Pulse Survey.
The inaugural FMWI score is +43 on a scale from −100 to +100, indicating that more facility professionals expect workloads to increase rather than decrease. Scores above zero reflect anticipated growth, with higher values signaling stronger expectations.
More than 1,400 professionals worldwide responded to the survey, including facility practitioners from 80 countries managing approximately 3.2 billion square feet of space. Respondents represented a wide range of sectors, including health care, education, manufacturing, utilities, finance and insurance, public administration, and professional services.
“FM leaders face steady workload growth supported by modest budgets and constrained staffing,” said Nickalos Rocha, director of benchmarking at IFMA. “Organizations that align planning, sourcing, and risk management early will be better positioned to meet demand and sustain performance.”
Survey participants included nearly 1,200 facility practitioners, about 200 vendors or service partners, and a smaller group of professionals in other roles. While the report includes multiple perspectives, the findings primarily reflect the views of facility management professionals across North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific.
“The findings, and specifically the FMWI, provide critical insight into the drivers and challenges shaping the facility management profession,” said Michael V. Geary, CAE, IFMA’s president and CEO. “This data helps organizations anticipate changes related to staffing, economic conditions, regulatory impacts, and other factors affecting facility operations.”
The Facility Management Pulse Report is intended to serve as a consistent benchmark that allows facility leaders to compare conditions across regions and sectors and track changes over time.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco is the Content Editor for OH&S.