jobfacts

Cleaner

Cleaners and domestics — SOC 2020 9223

Cleaners and domestics clean interiors of private houses, shops, hotels, schools, offices and other buildings.

Also calledCleaning services operativeWindow cleanerCar valetHotel housekeeperHotel room attendantHousekeeping room attendantand 123 more titles
Typical full-time pay£24,1002025 Provisional
People in the job497,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month12,000↑ 6.3%on last year · 3rd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time cleaners earn between £20,900 and £28,000 a year.

What full-time cleaners earn, 2025
£24,100 typical£16,900lowest 10%£20,90025%£28,00075%£33,100top 10%
Middle half (£20,900–£28,000)
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£16,900
Lowest 20% earn less than£20,000
25%£20,900
Median£24,100
75%£28,000
Top 20% earn more than£29,200
Top 10% earn more than£33,100
Many (21%) of cleaners work for themselves. These pay figures only cover employees, so they may not reflect what self-employed cleaners earn.
Typical pay by regionUK median £24,100
London£27,800
East of England£24,800
Scotland£24,500
Wales£24,300
South East£24,000
West Midlands!£24,000
North East!£23,800
Yorkshire and The Humber£23,700
South West£23,100
North West£23,000
East Midlands£22,500
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £24,100
London£27,800
East of England£24,800
Scotland£24,500
Wales£24,300
South East£24,000
West Midlands£24,000 (small sample)
North East£23,800 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£23,700
South West£23,100
North West£23,000
East Midlands£22,500
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £21,200
  • 2024 £23,000
  • 2025 Provisional£24,100
↑ 14% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 12,000 jobs for cleaners are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 202613,869
Jul 202619,793
Jun 2026Not published
May 202610,354
Apr 202611,532
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20269,363
Jan 202611,329
Dec 20255,063
Nov 202511,438
Oct 202511,815
Sept 202512,743
Aug 202511,650
Jul 202511,993
Jun 202512,263
May 202512,034
Apr 202510,441
Mar 202512,150
Feb 202511,017
Jan 202511,490
Dec 20246,713
Nov 202410,696
Oct 202411,911
Sept 202412,396
Aug 202412,437
Jul 202412,625
Jun 202412,008
May 202413,116
Apr 202411,665
Mar 20248,587
Feb 20248,540
Jan 202410,140
Dec 20236,800
Nov 20237,317
Oct 20237,096
Sept 20237,925
Aug 20239,483
Jul 20239,109
Jun 202313,319
May 202313,090
Apr 202310,426
Mar 202312,041
Feb 202311,525
Jan 202314,225
Dec 202211,569
Nov 202213,468
Oct 202214,058
Sept 202213,802
Aug 202214,412
Jul 202214,559
Jun 202213,489
May 202214,917
Apr 202212,349
Mar 202214,164
Feb 202213,316
Jan 202215,069
Dec 202111,414
Nov 202113,752
Oct 202113,247
Sept 202113,181
Aug 202112,155
Jul 202112,703
Jun 202111,213
May 202110,482
Apr 20218,307
Mar 20219,787
Feb 20216,486
Jan 20217,023
Dec 20206,357
Nov 20208,085
Oct 20209,889
Sept 202010,766
Aug 20208,732
Jul 20208,727
Jun 20207,308
May 20207,199
Apr 20208,582
Mar 20209,910
Feb 20209,313
Jan 20208,503
Dec 20195,744
Nov 20197,704
Oct 20197,901
Sept 20197,733
Aug 20197,812
Jul 20198,282
Jun 20197,597
May 20197,938
Apr 20195,858
Mar 20197,170
Feb 20195,828
Jan 20197,354
Dec 20184,872
Nov 20187,013
Oct 20188,280
Sept 20188,584
Aug 20187,434
Jul 20187,412
Jun 20187,533
May 20185,562
Apr 20185,979
Mar 20186,550
Feb 20186,411
Jan 20187,703
Dec 20174,776
Nov 20176,905
Oct 20176,879
Sept 20177,489
Aug 20177,752
Jul 20177,083
Jun 20178,225
May 20178,344
Apr 20178,029
Mar 20178,496
Feb 20177,012
Jan 20176,992
Is there a shortage of cleaners?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
4%against 27% for all jobs
DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London2,926
Leeds407
North Yorkshire388
Somerset377
Manchester365
Birmingham335
Cheshire West and Chester322
Cornwall309
Bristol, City of303
Wiltshire302
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where cleaners are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 15 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from Brazil, Pakistan, Thailand, ranking it 198th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of cleaners
11%
14%
18%
25%
25%
7.9%
Show as table
16–2411%
25–3414%
35–4418%
45–5425%
55–6425%
65+7.9%
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent9.6%
Higher education below degree5.2%
A levels or equivalent19%
GCSEs or equivalent26%
Other qualifications17%
No qualifications22%
Show as table
Degree or equivalent9.6%
Higher education below degree5.2%
A levels or equivalent19%
GCSEs or equivalent26%
Other qualifications17%
No qualifications22%

Main employers: general cleaning of buildings (41%), other cleaning activities (6.3%), hospital activities (5.7%), primary education (3.9%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
9.6%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 26%
Apprenticeships
1
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
1 year
typically
Self-employed
21%
of people in the job

Routes in

Cleaner

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course in cleaning or cleaning principles to get some of the skills and knowledge you'll need in this job.

Entry requirements

There are no set entry requirements for this route.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Cleaning Hygiene Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This is useful if you want to work in hospitals, care homes or other places that need to be cleaned to a very high standard.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Apply directly

You can apply for jobs with cleaning companies, car valeting services or organisations that employ their own cleaners.

There are no set entry requirements, but you'll need to show that you're reliable and able to do the job.

If you're looking for specialised cleaning work, for instance in a medical setting, it can help to have some experience.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

If you want to work as a window cleaner on tall buildings like office blocks, it can help if you've completed training in rope access work or operating a mobile platform, though this is not essential.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in cleaning from the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc).

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for cleaner. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Hotel housekeeper

You can get into this job through:

College

You could take a college course to get some of the skills needed in this job. Courses include:

  • introduction to the hospitality industry
  • hospitality and catering principles - housekeeping
  • hospitality supervision and leadership principles
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do a Hospitality Accommodation Team Member Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship with a hotel group.

You might also apply to do a Hospitality Supervisor Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship if you're already working in the industry.

You can complete a Hospitality Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship, if you want to become a housekeeping manager.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You may be able to start as a hotel cleaner, porter or kitchen staff and become a room attendant or housekeeper through company training and promotion.

Apply directly

You can apply directly if you have experience of working in other roles in the hospitality industry, such as customer service.

Employers will be interested in your personal qualities and will expect you to be hardworking, honest and a reliable timekeeper.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You can find work with large hotel groups or chains, and independent hotels, guesthouses and holiday parks.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become a hotel housekeeper from Caterer.com.

You can get more information about careers in the wider tourism industry from Take Off in Travel.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for hotel housekeeper. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • scrubs, washes, sweeps and polishes floors, corridors and stairs
  • dusts and polishes furniture and fittings
  • cleans toilets and bathrooms
  • washes down walls and ceilings
  • empties ashtrays, waste bins and removes rubbish

Skills

  • clean glass surfaces
  • follow organisational guidelines in the cleaning industry
  • maintain the cleanliness of the toilet facilities
  • perform cleaning activities in an environmentally friendly way
  • clean furniture
  • clean surfaces
  • handle chemical cleaning agents
  • maintain cleaning equipment
  • maintain customer service
  • maintain inventory of cleaning supplies
  • manage routine waste
  • carry out pressure washing activities
  • clean building floors
  • clean particular areas manually

Knowledge

  • cleaning industry health and safety measures
  • cleaning techniques
  • personal protective equipment

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for elementary administration and service occupations, a group of 26 jobs that includes cleaners.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 1.5%about 48,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 20351.5 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.