Demand for cleaners continues to increase each month

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The cleaning industry is booming. According to a Homegate survey from 2019, one in eight households can have a cleaner—no more recent figures. The rate is likely to have increased significantly by now. “Demand today is ten to 15 percent higher than before the epidemic,” Andreas Schollin-Borg (34) calculates. He is the CEO of Batmaid, the market leader among cleaning brokers.

Batmaid currently employs 4,000 cleaners in Switzerland – with 100 more being added each month. “We expect demand to increase by five to ten percent over ten years,” Schollin-Borg says.

He explains the growth by saying that people are more sensitive about hygiene but want to clean themselves less. “As a child, I was brought up to need to tidy my room,” Schollin-Borg recalls. “Time is a luxury item nowadays and people want to get rid of their chores.”

from young to old

Cleaning assistants are particularly popular with young people: The Homegate survey concluded that multi-person households without children – classic flat-sharings – often pay a cleaner.

But Schollin-Borg sees a clear trend among older people as well. “Older people are living longer and longer at home rather than moving to a nursing home,” he explains. “They need help at home more often.”

There is a generational shortage

Karin Funk (59) confirms that not only private individuals but also companies increasingly need cleaning staff. She is the managing director of Allpura, the swiss association of cleaning companies. “Our members have too much work to do, and some even have to turn orders down because they don’t have enough staff.” Because, contrary to popular belief, Funk emphasizes that not everyone can clean. “We need well-trained people in every field.”

The labor shortage may also be related to the bad reputation of the industry. Many home helpers do illegal cleaning in private homes. According to a Comparis survey from 2018, a quarter do not have social insurance and half do not have accident insurance.

Placement platforms also have a mission: At Homeservice24.ch, for example, 83,000 cleaning staff are self-employed. The platform itself is only an intermediary, not an employer. Batmaid used to be seen as the «Uber of the cleaning industry», but has now reacted and hired 4,000 cleaning staff on a permanent basis.

Invisible cleaners

Working conditions in professional cleaning companies are regulated by a generally binding collective bargaining agreement (GAV). “Compared to other industries, we don’t have to hide,” stresses Industry association Funk. After an apprenticeship as a building cleaner, he earns at least 4,500 francs a month.

One problem, however, is the low workload and unattractive hours: Most companies only allow cleaning crews into the office during off-peak times. Tables should be dusted, carpets swept and toilets cleaned before workplaces are filled from 8 am. Funk is demanding that daily cleaning become the standard in Switzerland, as in many Nordic countries. Then companies can offer their cleaners more jobs and more attractive working hours. “In this country, you often get the feeling that cleaning staff are going to be a nuisance,” Funk says. “But nowadays there are vacuum cleaners that don’t make any noise.”

But as long as the cleaning business is despised in Switzerland, this demand will likely remain utopian.

Source :Blick