BSC Market Study Forecasts the Future of Business

Talks of various political and legal developments in the United States and the countries with which it interacts dominated public discourse in early 2025 and for good reason. Topics like sweeping tariffs and mass deportation have the potential to impact nearly every American, whether it’s in their personal life, professional life, or both. While these themes could impact the cleaning industry as much as any in existence, a survey of nearly 13,000 building service contractors (BSCs) suggests many do not seem overly concerned about business issues that would directly relate to a changing world. In fact, industry professionals seem to be choosing in many respects to plan and act like they have in previous years, sometimes with the expectation of similar, steady results. 

Conducted by Contracting Profits, with sponsor support from Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI), the “2025 Building Service Contractor Market Study” shows BSCs are closer to bullish than bearish when forecasting their 2025 sales results against 2024. More than one-third (34 percent) think 2025 sales will end up significantly higher than in the previous year. Nearly half (48 percent) of those who answered the question expect sales to be slightly higher.  

This level of optimism is nearly identical to how respondents felt about the same question last year. Just over one-third (36 percent) expected sales in 2024 to be significantly higher than 2023 and almost half (49 percent) expected slightly improved sales from 2023 to 2024. In fact, “slightly higher” has been the most popular response to the year-over-year sales forecast question through the 2020s, demonstrating an industry comprised of either cautiously optimistic professionals, steady demand, or both. Unsurprisingly, revenue forecasts mirror the predicted success of sales, with a slight revenue growth being expected in 2025. 

Those financial successes will likely be needed. Considering the tight labor market, many businesses are looking to increase retention by instituting higher wages in 2025. Three different national staffing surveys indicate an average increase of anywhere between 3.5 and 3.9 percent, for at least two thirds of businesses. This national average lines up with 2025 BSC Market Study results, which show 70 percent of cleaning contractors expect to increase wages for their teams. Time will tell, though, whether the percentage increases will mirror national averages. One industry-specific survey shows that BSCs plan wage hikes anywhere between 2 and 5 percent.  

If these numbers hold true, BSCs will not only be leaning on aforementioned sales successes to override the additional labor costs, 71 percent expect to extend pricing increases to customers. This will require having open and honest conversations with customers, conducting new facility assessments, and drafting updated proposals. 

Although increases in costs would change the bottom lines of the BSC, customer, or both, there is some good news when it comes to the state of the contract cleaning market. Important aspects of the business are expected to stay the same or be similar to previous years, including product availability, diversification of product offerings, and demand for automation and technology.  

And although labor challenges/shortages remain a hurdle for BSCs, roughly half don’t expect them to get worse. Unfortunately, 40 percent expect recruitment challenges to grow, and these BSCs might be on to something. Even if every unemployed person in the United States found a job, there would still be positions to fill, according to a report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  

The same report found the worker shortage to be most difficult for employers in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Virginia. Meanwhile, California, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington are at least enjoying a worker surplus, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says geographic limitations can still make it tough to fill some of the jobs in those states. 

Overcoming these labor challenges will be top-of-mind as BSCs actively seek out opportunities to grow and diversify their business offerings. Judging by their responses, BSCs will be spending the next year attempting to grow in the market segments where they feel the weakest — transportation, recreation, and restaurants/clubs. It will be interesting to see if that focused approach pays off as those same three segments were also the top targets amongst respondents in recent years’ surveys.  

While the commercial segment unsurprisingly remained the area where BSCs say they excel, religious facilities rose from being identified as the fourth strongest segment in 2024 to second in 2025. 

In addition to new facility segments, most BSCs are looking to diversify services and expand their offerings. When asked what special services they do not offer now but hope to offer in the next 12 months, 44 percent of respondents selected mold remediation. This represents an obvious shift, as only 15 percent of respondents selected the option in 2024, and just 12 percent and 14 percent in 2023 and 2022, respectively. In fact, the shift appears to be one of the more seismic when comparing the 2025 survey to past years. It is possible BSCs see opportunity here because of the increasing prevalence and power of natural disasters, like those that impacted the Southeast in recent years. The mold that remained after these storms was extensive and ramped up the need for restoration services. 

Diversification has been a longtime friend of cleaning contractors looking to grow their market share in a crowded industry, but many BSCs are becoming more sophisticated and are paying close attention to alternative opportunities for growth. Mergers and acquisitions have long made headlines in the commercial cleaning industry and for good reason — it’s both fascinating to watch companies that seem to be perpetually going all in, and it’s also critical to see how these moves impact everything else.  

And while it might seem like everyone is either buying or selling, the truth is the great majority of BSCs choose to stay put. Roughly four out of five BSCs (81 percent) say they do not plan on acquiring another cleaning company in the next 12 months. This response is just slightly down from 2024, when 84 percent said “no.” 

As businesses grow, so do their purchases of products and equipment. BSCs say they’re buying 51 percent of their cleaning products and equipment from distributors this year, compared to 62 percent and 61 percent in both 2023 and 2024. It’s likely that the difference in response was impacted in part by the addition of “Buying group/Group purchasing organization” as an option, as it was selected by 12 percent of respondents and is a growing choice for many cost-conscious BSCs. If anything, this proves that the industry continues to evolve, which is why the survey is tweaked to reflect the exact specifications of the industry. 

One thing that tends to remain somewhat consistent year-over-year is customer demand. With 44 percent of the vote, a healthy and sanitary environment for building occupants appears to be what customers value most, followed by a clean appearance, a low price for cleaning services, and an environmentally friendly green cleaning program — an option that is always the least selected, typically grabbing just a few percentage points of the vote. These results mirror what BSCs said in 2022 and 2023, but not 2024, when 44 percent of those polled said a clean appearance was most important.   

There is a long way to go before 2025 concludes, which is important to consider in an industry where outside forces have proven to shake things up dramatically. Still, this market study provides a solid roadmap for how commercial cleaning will look come 2026.

To access all the results of this study in a print-friendly PDF, click here.

Jake Meister is the Senior Associate Editor of Contracting Profits and CleanLink.com.