MSNBC Story Features IFMA Research and the Economy

When MSNBC workplace and career columnist Eve Tahmincioglu began her recent story on corporate layoffs resulting in “cubicle graveyards” full of unused office space, she looked to the International Facility Management Association for research to back up her claims.

As it turns out, the latest IFMA research pointed to exactly what Tahmincioglu had noticed. The average square footage per building occupant had risen from 415 square feet in 2008 to 435 square feet in 2009—an increase more likely attributable to layoffs from the nation’s recent economic downturn than to ballooning individual office space.

The figures, from IFMA’s just-released “Operations and Maintenance Benchmarks Research Report #32,” are only one snapshot of how today’s built environment is being impacted by the economy. To learn more about IFMA’s latest research report, or to order a copy, click here. To read the full MSNBC story on the rise of cubicle graveyards, click here.