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Survey shows most pessimistic outlook in years
21st of July 2026 Article by Katja Scholz
Katja Scholz in Germany reports on the annual spring survey from the contract cleaning association BIV, a key indicator of industry sentiment.
Once again, it is time for the results of the annual spring survey by the Federal Guild Association of the Cleaning Trade (BIV), which has been a key indicator of industry sentiment since 2019.
Compared to previous years, something significant has changed - though not for the better: only 16 per cent of the surveyed companies have a positive outlook for the current financial year. Fifty per cent expect business to remain stable. Meanwhile, 34 per cent have negative expectations for 2026 - making this the most pessimistic overall sentiment since the BIV began its economic surveys.
A clear shift is evident among industrial clients. Nearly half of the companies (49 per cent) report a decline in customer numbers or order volumes. Even more significant is that 65 per cent of businesses observe a reduction in services requested by their clients. The sectors most affected are industry as well as office and administration (each at 26 per cent), followed by retail at 21 per cent.
The assessment of the political situation among surveyed companies is highly critical overall. The federal government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz receives a clearly negative rating after almost one year in office. On a scale from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 10 (very satisfied), the current average score is 3.7.
“The proposals for our healthcare system have been on the table since March, and reform ideas for pensions will follow in June. Then it is up to the federal government to act consistently and swiftly,” explains Federal Guild Master Thomas Dietrich. “The core lies in structural reform of the social security systems. The success of this will decisively determine the future of our economic location - and, incidentally, the credibility of this federal government as well.”
Another burden is the sharp rise in mobility costs. Since the cleaning industry operates nationwide and employees travel daily between numerous locations in both urban and rural areas, this development has a particularly strong impact. As a result, 88 per cent of companies report noticeable strain. At the same time, 89 per cent support at least a temporary reduction in taxes or levies, such as energy tax, CO2 charges, or VAT on petrol and diesel. Additionally, 87 per cent back the political approach of placing mineral oil companies under stricter antitrust control.
Economic difficulties are also clearly reflected in the labour market. Employment growth in the cleaning sector has slowed noticeably. While a peak of 696,444 employees was reached in 2023, the number fell to 667,489 by 2025, a decrease of 4.2 per cent. Twenty-nine per cent of companies had to reduce staff for operational reasons between 2025 and 2026. For 2026/2027, 41 per cent of businesses already expect further layoffs.
Despite this trend, overall demand for workers remains high: 74 per cent of companies are still seeking staff. Reasons include high turnover in the industry and the growing shortage of skilled workers due to demographic changes. At the same time, 26 per cent report they are currently not hiring, a figure that has risen significantly compared to 2024 (10.9 per cent).
The outlook for the future remains cautious: for 2027, 20 per cent expect positive business development, while 33 per cent anticipate negative outcomes.
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