Labour Shortages in Facilities Management in New Zealand: Strategies for Future Development Needs

Abstract

Facilities Management (FM) is an important part of the built environment because it helps organisations maintain safe, functional, and efficient workplaces. In New Zealand, the FM industry is facing labour shortages, and this has created challenges for service delivery, maintenance work, staff workload, and long-term workforce development. This study explores the causes, impacts, and possible responses to labour shortages in the FM sector in New Zealand.

This research used a qualitative approach. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with seven participants who had experience in FM, facilities operations, and related workplace management roles. The interview data were analysed manually using thematic analysis. This involved reading the interview data several times, identifying important codes, grouping similar ideas, and developing themes based on repeated patterns across participants' responses.

The findings show that labour shortages in FM are caused by several connected issues. These include low awareness of FM as a career, limited entry pathways, skills gaps, high workload, retention problems, and the growing complexity of FM roles. The findings also show that labour shortages affect organisations in different ways. Participants reported increased pressure on existing staff, delays in maintenance, reduced service quality, higher operational risk, and a stronger reliance on reactive work instead of planned maintenance.

The study also found that FM organisations use different coping strategies, such as outsourcing, internal training, mentoring, flexible work practices, and relying on experienced workers. However, these strategies are often short-term and do not fully solve the wider workforce problem. The findings suggest that the FM sector needs stronger career pathways, better industry visibility, more training opportunities, and closer cooperation between employers, education providers, and policymakers. This study contributes to knowledge by showing how labour shortages are experienced in the New Zealand FM sector and how they affect daily operations and long-term workforce planning. It also provides practical recommendations to support a more sustainable FM workforce in New Zealand.