Impact of COVID 19 on FM services and strategies to overcome this situation in GCC countries

ABSTRACT

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries) face the dual shock of a pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (COIVD 19) and a collapse in oil prices. GCC countries many times experienced fluctuations in oil price and learnt how to deal the situation. However, the COVID-19 outbreak, being a new one, has created a lot of concern among GCC countries. This pandemic is causing turbulence to the economies of the GCC countries. Major industries that have been impacted in GCC countries due to COVID-19 pandemic include Energy, Aviation, Food & Beverage, Chemical, Retail & E-commerce, Travel & Tourism among others. Besides a major downfall in oil demand has been reported across the globe due to the effect of COVID-19. Due to this, many oil productions sites have been shut down or has to decrease production in the region. The closure of the industrial and commercial activities because of the pandemic would certainly affect their economies. Facility management (FM) constitutes a branch, jointly representing real estate market with property management and asset management. It plays a crucial role in economic activities in region as FM services are involved in all industrial and commercial activities. The Facility Management (FM) market in GCC countries has witnessed robust growth during the last few decades due to rapid economic activities in this region. It is an established fact in FM services manpower cost dominates the total cost whereas material cost plays vital role in construction industries. Majority of work forces in GCC countries in FM sector is migrant people from the Globe. CCC countries are showing actions that they are capable of acting effectively to contain the health and economic impacts of the pandemic within their own borders, albeit with marked shortcomings when it comes to protecting migrant workers. It is estimated that approximately 23 million migrant workers are living GCC countries . These millions of migrant workers across the Gulf face uncertainty as host countries lock down, employers withhold wages or mull redundancies, and strict coronavirus containment measures lead to deportations and confinement. This will have series impact on FM sector. In this paper a detail study the impact of COVID 19 on FM sector in GCC countries is reported. Strategies to overcome the crisis are listed along with the means and recommendation to implement the strategy.