BCC publishes survey into UK cleaning industry

The study looks in detail at a number of key industry areas including employment, wages, demographics, and company turnover.

The council was asked to collect the UK data by the European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI), and the figures will be added to EFCI stats over the next few months to provide a Europe-wide picture.

BCC chairman Simon Hollingbery said: “Up until 2012, gathering statistics like this was usually done by the now defunct Asset Skills Sector Council, using Government funding. That’s no longer an option, so this survey shows that the BCC can step up to the plate when asked, and fulfill these important functions on behalf of the UK cleaning industry.”

The full report is 16 pages, and contains many statistical tables and detailed information across facilities services, cleaning and landscape services, and makes a comparison with economic performance in the UK as a whole.

For instance, the total UK turnover in 2014 was £3.6 trillion, and the ‘Services to Buildings and Landscape Activities’ sector turnover was £23bn or 0.64% of UK total. Further breakdown by industry reveals that 49% of the sector’s turnover was from the ‘Combined Facilities Support Activities’ industry, while ‘Cleaning Activities’ makes up just over a third of the sector turnover.

The report also highlights that the UK cleaning industry relies on migrant labour more heavily than over economic sectors, with 24% of workers having a non-UK nationality, compared to the average of 18% across other industries.

There’s also detailed information about the market leaders, with Interserve, OCS Group and MITIE being the three biggest players in the UK.

The full survey will be made available free of charge to all BCC members. Other interested parties can purchase the survey from the BCC Secretariat for £100.