ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The cleaning industry in Spain created a total of 18,503 new jobs in 2017 and now employs 358,307 people - the highest number in five years according to information issued by the Social Security body, the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social.

Juan Díez de los Ríos, president of contract cleaning association Aspel, presented the latest statistics on the market. Data shows that the cleaning sector experienced moderate growth in 2017 thanks to the improving economic situation in Spain. And this is set to continue in 2018, with growth of between 1.9 and two per cent predicted.

Juan Díez de los Ríos believes: "The business is moving, very slowly, from classic cleaning such as offices to services related to the actual functioning of buildings - facility services." The largest clients in 2017 were public organisations, education, hospitals and large service and industrial companies.

Overdue debt from public administrations owed to Aspel's member companies surpassed €394.5 million in 2017, a 14.14 per cent reduction on the previous year. However, both the State and local governments have not yet met the deadline for supplier payments and companies are still waiting up to three months to receive payment on their invoices.

During the last eight years, between 2009 and 2017, the monthly incidence of absenteeism in the cleaning industry has been 44 per cent higher than the other industries, especially in the last financial year. Despite the economic recovery the percentage of employees who did not work a single day in the year has increased from more than 14,000 in 2013 to almost 23,000 in 2017 - a 62 per cent rise.

The average duration of sick leave was 54.29 days, compared to 40.72 in all industries.