Bad mood among the building cleaners

Companies in the building cleaning sector are more pessimistic than ever since 2019. This is one of the findings of the latest spring economic survey conducted by the Federal Guild Association. 34 percent of the companies expect business to decline in 2026.

Only 16 percent of respondents in the current spring economic survey of the Federal Guild Association of the Building Cleaning Trade The companies surveyed by the German Association of Industrialists (BIV) expect the economy to improve this year. This is 3,4 percentage points lower than in autumn 2025. Half of the companies expect business to remain the same (autumn 2025: 41,7 percent), while 34 percent (autumn 2025: 38,9 percent) anticipate a worsening economic situation.

Overall, this is the most pessimistic outlook since the BIV began its economic surveys in 2019. One reason is the lack of orders from customers in industry, offices, and administration. These companies are cutting costs on cleaning services due to the economic crisis. 49 percent of companies report a noticeable decline in customers or orders.

Customers save on cleaning costs

Even more businesses (65 percent) report reduced service from their customers. The sectors that are saving the most in the area of ​​commercial cleaning are industry (26 percent) and office and administration (26 percent), followed by trade and retail (21 percent).

The number of employees has decreased by 4,2 percent compared to the peak in 2023 (696.444 employees) by 2025 (667.489). 29 percent of companies report having made redundancies in 2025/2026. For 2026/2027, as many as 41 percent expect staff reductions.

You might also be interested in:

Craft policy

The building cleaning trade rejects the wage demands of the IG Bau (Construction Workers' Union).

Operations management

Safety officers will only be required for companies with 50 or more employees.

Craft policy

Hopes for an upswing are fading.

Rising mobility costs are putting a strain on businesses.

Nevertheless, 74 percent of companies in the building cleaning sector are looking for employees. Reasons cited include the typically high employee turnover in the industry and a growing demographic skills gap. 26 percent of the surveyed companies are not currently seeking new staff. This is a remarkably high figure and more than double the most recent comparative data (spring 2024: 10,9 percent).

The sharply increased mobility costs are a burden for 88 percent of companies. Whether it's energy tax, CO₂ levy, or VAT on gasoline and diesel – 89 percent of companies would like at least a temporary reduction in taxes and levies. 87 percent support the federal government's policy of stricter antitrust regulations for oil companies in the future.

A poor report card for the federal government

Businesses have given the federal government a critical assessment. On a satisfaction scale of 1 to 10, the government only scores 3,7 points. Federal Guild Master Thomas Dietrich is urging the government to act swiftly in the areas of health and pension policy. "The key lies in the structural reform of the social security systems. The future of our economic base depends decisively on the success of this reform," says Dietrich.

DHB now also digital!Simply click here and register for the digital German Crafts Journal (DHB)!