According to this research, in 2010 the SA FM market was valued at R24,814.4 million.  The commercial sector generated approximately R17,411.6 million (70.2%), with the public and industrial sectors generating approximately 19.8 and 10.0 percent respectively.

The assessment was undertaken during the second half of 2011 with the results being made available in March 2012.

It is anticipated that this sector will achieve a growth rate of 7.2% growth rate by 2015.

In 2010 the SA out-sourced FM market employed 6,395 people, including managers and in-house functional service providers. The number of people employed in the in-house FM market proved difficult to quantify.

The SA FM market is characterised by various challenges that affect the development of the industry.  Challenges are viewed as obstacles that all companies experience and which they need to overcome in order to attain a competitive advantage in this industry.  These include: 

1.            Critical shortage of skilled personnel;
2.            limited recognition of the FM industry in SA
3.            Lack of adequate BEE partners;
4.            Lack of appreciation of FM services by end-users;
5.            lack of competition within the market;
6.            Limited interaction between FM companies and end-users.

The FM market lacks skills that are most pertinent in management and those requiring technical skills.  Technical skills in building maintenance and repair, electrical and lighting, plumbing, IT support and HVAC are severely lacking.

The FM industry has not been formally recognised by the South African Government as a key source of employment for thousands of South Africans and industry participants perceive this to be a key contributor to the lack of development of accredited training courses.