ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The Professional Association of Cleaning Companies (ASPEL) in Spain has warned of just how serious the situation is in the cleaning sector there - with more than 16,400 jobs having been lost since 2011.

The industry has also seen a substantial reduction in the volume of business in the private and public sectors and this trend is set to continue.

President Juan Díez de los Ríos recently presented an analysis of the most recent official data for the cleaning sector confirming the trend towards the fragmentation of companies and a reduction in their profits. This is something which, in his opinion, is of concern by virtue of the fact that this is a sector which is basic for society and is a large generator of employment.

In terms of the number of workers in the cleaning sector, according to the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE 8121) in one year (from 2011 to 2012) the sector has lost 16,416 jobs, although the number of cleaning companies has risen by 401, many of them being very small and the product of self-employment.

In parallel with this, according to data from the Administrative Contracting Consultative Board, the number of companies registered for entering into contracts with the public sector has risen by three per cent. This means that small companies are gaining access to minor local government contracts.