Cleaning Sector in UKs Top 10 Industries

A recent report published by The British Cleaning Council indicates that the cleaning, hygiene and waste sector is one of the top ten industries in the UK. There are almost 1.5million people working in the sector and accounting for about 5 percent of the UK’s workforce, this easily places the sector in the top ten industries for employment.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year, the cleaning and hygiene sector has come under scrutiny like never before. The need to provide Covid secure workspace, the mitigation of risk for key workers along with understanding the requirements of staff both office and remote based, has become a critical requirement for the industry to have to deal with. The supply of PPE has been another logistical challenge. The vital work the sector has undertaken over the last 12 months has seen the sector receive praise from top figures across business and government.

Statistics from February 2020 to February 2021 illustrate how the pandemic has impacted on industry –

• The monthly GDP of services to buildings and landscape activities was 13 per cent below the February 2020 level.
• Waste collection treatment and disposal activities grew at 3.4 per cent over the same time period.
• Manufacture of soap and detergent, cleaning and polishing perfumes and toilet preparations grew by 1.2 per cent during that period.

The general public have also placed greater importance than usual on cleaning in public spaces as the report illustrates –

• 61 per cent of people who responded said that seeing cleaning and hygiene operatives in public spaces makes them feel that safety measures are being taken seriously.
• 45 per cent agreed that the visibility of cleaning in progress would encourage them to return to an office space, shopping centre or airport.

Paul Thrupp, Chair of The British Cleaning Council (BCC) remarked ‘Increased awareness of the importance of cleaning and hygiene means our industry will continue to play a vital role as the UK recovers from the pandemic and into the future. I believe the outlook going forward is very positive’.

AEJ Management provide contract cleaning into retail, shopping centre, business park, industrial, education and the charitable sector space. Along with general internal and external site cleaning we also  provide a comprehensive range of washroom products and services, fogging, deep cleaning, gum removal and high level cleaning activity.