From plant room to boardroom: a tech innovator’s guide to the $3 trillion facilities management market

Once viewed as a simple cost center, facilities management (FM) has evolved into a strategic partner for corporate real estate occupiers, increasingly leveraged to drive core business objectives such as operational efficiency, enterprise resilience, and occupant engagement. This shift is propelled by today’s intense economic pressures, which demand sophisticated cost optimization through deep strategic partnerships and technological innovation, ultimately enhancing both building performance and human experience. 

JLL’s 2025 Global State of Facilities Management Report reveals a $3 trillion industry eager to modernize, with 28% of organizations already embedding AI in their FM operations. However, significant hurdles persist, ranging from integration challenges with legacy infrastructure, data governance, supply chain complexities, and a growing talent gap. These challenges represent compelling opportunities for tech innovators to deliver transformative solutions that help shape the future of this industry. 

The report points to several high-impact areas where technology can super-charge facilities management:

1.        Intelligent Automation and Workflow Optimization

With 81% of organizations identifying cost efficiency as their top FM priority, there is immense demand for solutions that automate high-volume, repetitive tasks. Performance metrics reporting and work order management are among the prime targets for automation. Platforms that turn manual data compilation into real-time dashboards as well as AI-enabled tools for intelligent work order dispatching and status tracking will find a ready market. 

2.        Integrated Risk and Resilience Management 

In an era of increasing volatility and uncertainty, organizations are prioritizing enterprise resilience. Business continuity for critical facilities is the foremost risk management objective for FM leaders, followed by modernization of aging infrastructure. This creates a market for technologies that offer a holistic, proactive defense system. Opportunities include predictive analytics to identify hazards before incidents occur, cybersecurity enhancements for smart building systems and IoT infrastructure, and solutions that enhance climate event adaptability and sustainable energy sourcing. 

3.        Workforce Augmentation and Talent Development

The FM industry is projected to expand by more than $800 billion globally by 2030 but faces significant shortages in skilled trade labor to meet surging demand. Technology offers a promising solution, as 62% of organizations plan to use AI and automation to augment human capabilities. This positions tech-enabled FM providers as critical partners to develop and implement innovations in partnership with their clients—innovations that empower technicians with guided troubleshooting, use augmented reality for complex maintenance, and facilitate remote training. Such solutions not only increase the productivity of the existing workforce but also make the industry more appealing to a younger, digitally native talent pool. 

4.        Human-Centric Experience Platforms

The value of FM has shifted from being purely asset-centric to more human-centric. Occupant wellbeing and workplace safety now rank as top FM priorities and are key metrics to measure FM performance. Technology that enhances environmental comfort, safety, and convenience is in high demand. Platforms that integrate a hospitality mindset—gathering real-time feedback on occupant satisfaction to create high-performing workspaces—will directly impact core business goals, as positive workplace experience is strongly correlated with office attendance and employee engagement.

The facilities management industry has little choice but to deploy technology to solve the immense challenges it faces. For tech innovators, this is a mandate: empower the industry’s shift from the plant room to the boardroom. Those who seize this opportunity will help create resilient, efficient, and engaging workplaces of tomorrow. The future of FM is waiting to be built.

Written by Wei Xie, Research & Strategy Leader, Workplace Management at JLL

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