Who will clean Britain in 2035?

OUR INDUSTRY faces a challenge that many sectors are beginning to confront. We have an ageing workforce, increasing demand for professional cleaning services, and growing expectations around compliance, safety and competence. At the same time, attracting younger people into the profession remains a struggle.

For too long, cleaning has been viewed as a job rather than a career. Yet anyone working within our industry knows this perception could not be further from the truth.

Today's cleaning operatives are expected to understand health and safety legislation, infection prevention, sustainability practices, specialist equipment, chemical competence, risk assessments, and customer service. The skills required continue to increase, but the public perception has not always kept pace.

If we want to secure the future of our industry, that must change.

Cleaning operatives of the future

The next generation entering the workforce is looking for more than a pay cheque. They want development opportunities, recognised qualifications, digital learning, career progression, and a sense of purpose. They want to see a future.

The question we should be asking is not how we fill vacancies today, but how we make the cleaning profession attractive to the workforce of tomorrow.

This requires a fundamental shift in thinking.

We need to stop talking about cleaning as a low-skilled occupation and start recognising it as the highly skilled profession it has become. We need clearer career pathways, stronger professional recognition and a greater focus on lifelong learning.

Technology will also play a major role.

By 2035, artificial intelligence, robotics, sensor technology and smart buildings will transform how cleaning services are managed and delivered. However, despite predictions to the contrary, I do not believe technology will replace people.

Instead, it will elevate them.

The cleaning operatives of the future will be skilled professionals who can interpret data, manage technology and deliver services in increasingly complex environments. Their role will be broader, more technical and more valuable than ever before.

The organisations that invest in developing those skills today will be the ones that thrive tomorrow.

Youth engagement

At BICSc, we recognise that the future of our industry depends upon the people entering it today. This is why initiatives focused on youth engagement, modern learning methods, digital credentials and professional standards are so important. We must ensure that the next generation sees cleaning not as a last resort, but as a respected profession offering genuine opportunities for growth and achievement.

But this responsibility does not rest with BICSc alone.

Employers, training providers, clients and industry leaders all have a role to play. We must work together to change perceptions, celebrate success and promote the enormous value that cleaning professionals bring to society every single day.

After all, cleaning operatives protect public health, support education, enable business productivity and help keep critical services running. Their contribution is often invisible, but it is indispensable.

The future of our industry will not be determined by technology, regulation or economics alone.

It will be determined by whether we can inspire the next generation to join us.

So, I return to my original question.

Who will clean Britain in 2035?

The answer depends on the decisions we make today.

If we continue as we are, we risk a growing skills gap and a shrinking workforce.

If we invest in people, embrace innovation and promote professionalism, we can build a stronger, more skilled and more respected industry than ever before.

The future is not something that happens to us.

It is something we create – and the time to start creating it is now.

Neil Spencer-Cook is group managing director at BICSc

For more information visit www.bics.org.uk