The British Cleaning Council (BCC) is asking the government to revisit its new immigration rules, claiming that current proposals will see the availability of cleaning staff in 2021 severely curtailed.
The British Cleaning Council (BCC) is asking the government to revisit its new immigration rules, claiming that current proposals will see the availability of cleaning staff in 2021 severely curtailed.
BCC chairman Paul Thrupp said plans as they stand would cause staff shortfalls in some sectors and areas, particularly in cleaning and tourism sectors in and around London.
The council cites figures from The Labour Force Survey April-June 2019 showing that 62 per cent of the cleaning workforce active in London was born overseas, with the average figure for foreign-born workers in the entire sector at 23 per cent. About 45 per cent of cleaning, housekeeping managers and supervisors were also born overseas.
“It will be really difficult to replace all these workers with UK-based citizens. The result will be that standards of cleanliness will plunge across London in workplaces, shops, public buildings and tourist attractions. This could have a detrimental impact on the huge national effort for high hygiene standards needed… in response to the coronavirus outbreak,” added Thrupp.
Security implications
Wendy Bartlett, founder, Bartlett Mitchell, told Facilitate: “The industry has put a great deal of energy into making sure it is seen in a better light, and recent comments suggesting some roles are menial and low skilled do nothing to help an industry that is the backbone of this country…. The policy is short-sighted with regard to the economic impact and demonstrates the government’s lack of understanding.”
Mark Rogers, sales and marketing director at Corps Security, said: “There’s virtually a 100 per cent employment rate for security officers so as demand increases we will need to seriously consider where new staff will be coming from. It’s always going to be a challenge attracting top-quality candidates for any job.”
Rogers added: “Naturally, we believe in creating a great working environment and paying a good wage. That’s why we are a Living Wage Foundation-recognised service provider. We would love to pay more to attract talent but with fixed-length contracts, we know it’s a challenge for clients to absorb the additional cost.
“But there are alternatives. The falling price of technology makes integration of manned and technological security solutions more feasible and ensures that staff can still be paid a great wage. Hiring fewer staff, earning a higher wage and complementing this with tech solutions is the way ahead for the security sector.”
Upskilling abilities
In 2017 the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (then BIFM) said the sector faced a skills crisis. Commenting on the government’s launch of a review examining post-Brexit skills needs, it said: “While the FM industry has grown exponentially over the last three decades, it now faces a skills shortage due to the UK’s demographic changes and a lack of skilled applicants. The uncertainty over a new migration policy for EU migrants adds to the challenge. BIFM’s members, through their membership of the professional body for the FM industry, are already committed to upskilling abilities and knowledge. The skills gap needs a multifaceted approach to ensure that the FM industry can deliver its potential of a £20 billion uplift to the UK economy by enabling an effective workplace to the UK’s businesses. A flexible migration policy needs to be part of the solution.”