EFCI survey proves growth

5th of May 2011
EFCI survey proves growth

The European Federation of Cleaning Industries (EFCI), the contract cleaning industry association representing the sector at EU level, has published its latest market data, relating to the year 2008. This latest survey shows Europe’s cleaning contractors achieved a total turnover of 61,978 billion euros in the 20 countries covered.

That figure represents a turnover increase of 13.9 per cent over the two years 2006-2008, while average annual employment growth in the industry over the last 18 years stands at 9.9 per cent. Germany, France, Italy, the UK and Spain are the five largest national markets – together representing around 77 per cent of the total European turnover.

The continuous trend towards outsourcing of cleaning services is confirmed in the survey, as market penetration has grown in every country. On average it is now at a level of around 63.8 per cent, according to the EFCI figures, which indicates there is still much potential for development for contract cleaning companies.

The total number of cleaning companies in the 20 countries was over 158,430, an increase of 22.4 per cent between 2006 and 2008. Germany alone accounts for a growth of 7,570 companies, because of market liberalisation, while France, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy also registered particularly strong growth in this area.

Dynamic sector

More than 3.75 million people were employed in the cleaning industry in 2008, compared to 3.57 million in 2006 – an increase of five per cent over the two years. This makes the sector one of the most dynamic in the EU in terms of job creation. Germany is the largest employer by far, accounting for 23 per cent of the workforce, followed by Spain, the UK, France and Italy. In fact 70 per cent of the total industry workforce is employed in those five countries.

Part-time work remains the most popular form of employment in the sector and covers 70 per cent of the workforce – average duration of work is 23 hours per week. And women still dominate the workforce, representing 75 per cent of the total number of employees on average.

The full survey offers detailed analysis of all these figures, as well as covering subjects such as productivity, work organisation, gender aspects, ethnic minorities and various breakdowns
by country.

It can be purchased now for 150 euros by contacting the EFCI secretariat in Brussels - office@feni.be

•Read ECJ's full summary of the report

 

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