ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Latest figures published by the British Cleaning Council (BCC) show the value of the cleaning, hygiene and waste industry jumped by more than 10 per cent in 12 months to reach a record-breaking figure of nearly £66.9 billion.

The industry figures for 2022 are the highest ever-recorded and mark a strong recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, during which the sector's contribution to the UK economy dipped to £57 billion in 2020 and only recovered slowly to £59.8 billion in 2021.

The figures also show employment in the cleaning, hygiene and waste sector increasing from 1.47 million to 1.49 million. This equates to approximately five per cent of the UK workforce, maintaining the industry as a top 10 employer in the UK.

The BCC published the figures in its annual research report, which contains a wide-ranging and detailed set of the most up-to-date industry figures available. The report is available free on request.

It includes detailed statistics on areas such as numbers of migrants in the workforce, flexible working arrangements, recruitment, skills and health and safety. It also looks at key sub-industries in detail and analyses different occupations.

Some of the findings include that the number of sector businesses has increased year-on-year since 2013, when 47,665 companies were in operation. Today, there are more than 77,535 businesses in operation.

Nearly nine in 10 (89 per cent) are micro businesses, employing less than ten individuals, the report says.

Overall, the industry is 58 per cent female and 42 per cent male, though the make-up of some sub-industries is noticeably different. For example, less than one per cent of street cleaners are female.

To order your free digital copy of the BCC's 2025 research report, email: compsec@britishcleaningcouncil.org