Demand
The UK cleaning industry is an established but growing market. A 2017 British Cleaning Council report found that the cleaning sector contributed over £24bn to the economy in 2015 (up from £10bn in 2010). It is projected to grow to £50bn by 2022.
The cleaning industry provides a vital service to economy, ensuring that our workplaces, hospitals, schools, transport and public spaces are clean and pleasant to use. Virtually recession-proof, the cleaning sector is one of very few industries not affected by seasonal or economic factors.
Many firms now outsource cleaning and services such as security or catering to specialist firms in order to reduce costs and benefit from a higher standard of service. This has led to significant expansion of the industry, which has seen year-on-year growth since 2011, when 30,900 firms were in operation, to today when more than 40,000 businesses operate.
621,000 individuals work in the industry and employment across the sector grew 10% between 2010 and 2015 – greater than whole economy, which recorded only a 7% growth in employment during that period.