leadingtohigherrevenuefollowingtheinitialshockcausedbythepandemic.Asworkerscontinuetoreturnto
offices,theseshiftswilllikelyengenderincreaseddownstreamdemandinthelongerterm.Anincreaseinindustrial
outputisalsoexpectedtobringemploymenttoagreaternumberofworkersinthemanufacturingandother
industrialsectors,whichwouldlikelyincreasedemandfrombusinessesinthosesectors.
ENHANCEDCLEANINGPROTOCOLS
Inrecentyears,industrialclients,suchasmanufacturers,havebecomean
increasinglyimportantsourceofrevenuefortheindustry,asmaintaining
cleanplantandequipmentisimportantforemployeeproductivityand
productquality.
In2020,thistrendacceleratedasmanufacturingandhigh-techplantsrequiredenhancedcleaningprotocolsto
continueoperationsamidthecoronaviruspandemic.Specializeddeepcleaningsandgeneralizeddisinfectionshave
becomeroutineoperationsatmanufacturingplants,andarenowstandardprotocolwhenanemployeetestspositive
forcoronavirus.Otherindustriesandsectorsoftheeconomywilllikelyemployenhancedcleaningprotocolsas
employeesreturntoofficesandretailtrafficpicksup.Forexample,disinfectant-sprayingdroneshavebeen
developedforuseinconcertvenuesandotherlargespaces,whichwilllikelyexperienceincreasedusethroughout
2022.
STRUCTURALSHIFTS
Theindustryishighlyfragmentedduetoalargenumberofnonemployer
businesses.
Theshareofnonemployersintheindustryhasgrownduringthepasttwodecades,reachinganestimated94.2%in
2022.Overall,thenumberofindustryestablishmentshasincreasedatanannualizedrateof7.7%to1.2million
operators.Mostofthisgrowthhasbeendrivenbygrowthinnonemployerestablishments.Employerbusinesses
havealsogrownduringthepastfiveyears,althoughatamoremoderaterate.Theinfluxofnewoperatorshas
resultedinstrongcompetitionoverthepastfiveyears.Inadditiontoprice-basedcompetition,companiesattemptto
differentiateoperationsorcompeteonthebasisofreputationforqualityservice.Forexample,majorplayerABM
IndustriesInc.(ABM)hasdevelopedintoanintegratedprovideroffacilitysolutions,offeringlandscaping,security,
electrical,engineeringandotherservices,inadditiontojanitorialservices.Thisdiversificationenableslargeindustry
operatorstoestablishstrategicallianceswithcommercialpropertyownersandmanagers.
Otheroperatorsserviceindustrieswithmorestringentcleaningrequirements,suchasthoserelatedtohealthcare,
pharmaceuticals,electronicequipmentandfoodproductmanufacturing,inanefforttogainentranceintoaspace
withhigherbarrierstoentry,andthus,higherprofit.Overthefiveyearsto2022,profit,measuredasearningsbefore
interestandtaxes,hasincreasedto6.8%ofrevenue,upfrom5.9%in2017.Whiletotalwagecostshaverisenatan
annualizedrateof5.0%to$40.8billionoverthefiveyearsto2022,duetogrowthinindustryemployment,thewage
shareofrevenuehasdeclined,contributingtohigherprofitduringthecurrentperiod.
GREENSERVICES
Overthepastfiveyears,companiesintheindustryhaveattemptedto
differentiatethemselvesfromtheircompetitorsbyfocusingoneco-
friendlycleaningsolutions.
Someindustryoperatorsoffergreencleaningservices,whichincludetheuseofhigh-filtrationvacuums,microfiber
clothsformoreefficientdirtandparticlecapture,coursesprayernozzlestohelpreduceatomizedchemicalreleases
andothercertifiedenvironmentallyfriendlycleaningproducts.Forexample,majorplayerABMhasanenhanced
GreenCareprogram,whichcurrentlyuseseco-friendlyproductsandmethods.Greencleaningservices,especially
forfranchisedandlargeroperators,haveincreasinglybecomeanecessityforsurvivalintheindustry.