Is the cleaning industry any greener than it was a year ago? That’s debatable. Have the proverbial purse strings that control spending been drawn significantly tighter over the last 12 months? Without a doubt. Is the dismal state of the economy influencing the responses in the 2009 Housekeeping Solutions Reader Survey? We’ve come up with significant evidence that, indeed, it is.

In fact, it might not be a stretch to speculate that the questions that really mattered to the majority of the readers polled were those that had to do with spending, workforce and budgets — all of which are closely tied to the repercussions emanating from one of the quickest and most severe economic downturns in U.S. history.
For some, this serves as proof that there is no truth to the myth that the cleaning industry is recession proof. For example, a year ago, 40 percent of in-house managers estimated that departmental budgets could go up, relative to the coming year. A look at our 2009 findings reveals that a mere 18 percent entertain budget increases, while 49 percent anticipate budget cuts.
We noticed more of the same reversal in optimism when it comes to the workforce. While last year’s survey revealed that 22 percent of respondents felt the workforce might grow, only seven percent of those surveyed this year dared predict a staff increase. A more telling statistic, perhaps, is that more than twice as many of this year’s respondents — 22 percent in our 2009 survey versus 10 percent in our 2008 survey — anticipate the need to let people go.
Economic downturn buzz notwithstanding, the survey does shed light on other salient industry issues that readers can’t afford to ignore. Touching on management priorities, staffing issues, budget expectations, green initiatives and purchasing priorities, the responses provide a well-rounded outlook at the jan/san industry and a benchmarking tool for facility managers.
The economy has certainly attracted attention, but survey statistics show that readers aren’t ignoring issues that should shape the remainder of the year.
Compare this 2009 study with studies from past years at www.cleanlink.com/industrystatistics.