jobfacts

Launderers, dry cleaners and pressers

SOC 2020 9224

Launderers, dry cleaners and pressers supervise and undertake the washing, dry cleaning, ironing and pressing of clothing, household and other linen, carpets, curtains and other articles.

Also calledMachinistAssistantPresserPreparerWash house attendantHydro attendantand 104 more titles
Typical full-time pay£23,3002025 Provisional
People in the job26,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month2,100↑ 1.4%on last year · 86th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time launderers, dry cleaners and pressers earn, 2025
£23,300 typical£21,600lowest 20%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£21,600
25%£21,800
Median£23,300
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £23,300
North East!£25,100
London!£23,900
Scotland!£22,900
North West!£22,600
South East!£22,500
Yorkshire and The Humber!£22,100
East Midlands!£21,900
West Midlands!£21,800
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £23,300
North East£25,100 (small sample)
London£23,900 (small sample)
Scotland£22,900 (small sample)
North West£22,600 (small sample)
South East£22,500 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£22,100 (small sample)
East Midlands£21,900 (small sample)
West Midlands£21,800 (small sample)
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £19,800
  • 2024 £22,700
  • 2025 Provisional£23,300
↑ 18% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 2,100 jobs for launderers, dry cleaners and pressers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20262,877
Jul 20263,062
Jun 20261,892
May 20261,860
Apr 20261,882
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,729
Jan 20262,160
Dec 2025957
Nov 20252,189
Oct 20252,165
Sept 20252,424
Aug 20252,261
Jul 20252,143
Jun 20252,250
May 20252,327
Apr 20252,039
Mar 20252,242
Feb 20251,997
Jan 20252,122
Dec 20241,118
Nov 20241,921
Oct 20242,270
Sept 20242,434
Aug 20242,254
Jul 20242,185
Jun 20242,185
May 20242,408
Apr 20242,010
Mar 20241,355
Feb 20241,388
Jan 20241,602
Dec 2023945
Nov 20231,001
Oct 2023882
Sept 20231,094
Aug 20231,512
Jul 20231,262
Jun 20232,399
May 20232,925
Apr 20231,752
Mar 20232,103
Feb 20232,293
Jan 20232,640
Dec 20222,110
Nov 20222,377
Oct 20222,551
Sept 20222,322
Aug 20222,401
Jul 20222,365
Jun 20222,131
May 20222,387
Apr 20221,951
Mar 20222,338
Feb 20222,157
Jan 20222,442
Dec 20211,892
Nov 20212,650
Oct 20212,460
Sept 20212,473
Aug 20212,029
Jul 20212,241
Jun 20212,014
May 20211,634
Apr 20211,411
Mar 20211,953
Feb 20211,149
Jan 20211,165
Dec 20201,110
Nov 20201,336
Oct 20201,578
Sept 20201,717
Aug 20201,459
Jul 20201,509
Jun 20201,578
May 20201,272
Apr 20201,248
Mar 20201,636
Feb 20201,624
Jan 20201,520
Dec 2019894
Nov 20191,189
Oct 20191,160
Sept 20191,101
Aug 20191,234
Jul 20191,432
Jun 20191,261
May 20191,292
Apr 2019962
Mar 20191,070
Feb 2019964
Jan 20191,264
Dec 2018762
Nov 20181,177
Oct 20181,333
Sept 20181,354
Aug 20181,202
Jul 20181,373
Jun 20181,352
May 2018824
Apr 20181,017
Mar 20181,237
Feb 20181,194
Jan 20181,611
Dec 20171,082
Nov 20171,508
Oct 20171,884
Sept 20171,848
Aug 20171,914
Jul 20171,771
Jun 20172,036
May 20172,045
Apr 20172,076
Mar 20172,151
Feb 20171,722
Jan 20171,131
Is there a shortage of launderers, dry cleaners and pressers?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsWell above 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
5.4%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for elementary cleaning occupations, which includes launderers, dry cleaners and pressers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London471
North Yorkshire84
Highland77
City of Edinburgh75
Leeds73
Glasgow City71
County Durham66
Manchester64
Buckinghamshire62
Bristol, City of59
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where launderers, dry cleaners and pressers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of launderers, dry cleaners and pressers
n/p
13%!
38%!
29%!
16%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
25–34Not published
35–4413% (small sample)
45–5438% (small sample)
55–6429% (small sample)
65+16% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!14%
A levels or equivalent!9.8%
GCSEs or equivalent!19%
Other qualifications!33%
No qualifications!23%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent14% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent9.8% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent19% (small sample)
Other qualifications33% (small sample)
No qualifications23% (small sample)

Main employers: washing and (dry-)cleaning of textile and fur products (43%), event catering activities (10%), residential nursing care activities (10%), residential care activities for the elderly and disabled (4%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
14%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
Other qualifications
held by 33%
Apprenticeships
1
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
1 year
typically

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

  • receives garment or item from customer for cleaning, checks pockets, buttons, zips, etc. and issues receipt
  • sorts articles by fabric, colour and type and determines appropriate cleaning process
  • removes difficult stains using chemicals or steam gun
  • loads articles into washing and dry cleaning machines or electrically operated drum cleaning machine, operates controls to admit cleaning fluids and starts machine
  • sets and operates drying machines and smooths and shapes washed garments using hand iron or machine press
  • allocates washing machines to customers, ensures correct use of equipment and gives change
  • performs a variety of laundering, dry cleaning and pressing tasks, including beating carpets and shaping starched collars, cuffs and hats

Skills

  • alter wearing apparel
  • comply with food safety and hygiene
  • coordinate manufacturing production activities
  • distinguish accessories
  • distinguish fabrics
  • iron textiles
  • maintain linen operation
  • manufacture wearing apparel products
  • perform process control in the wearing apparel industry
  • prepare production prototypes
  • carry out calculations in hospitality
  • handle customer complaints
  • maintain customer service
  • meet commitments in hospitality

Knowledge

  • manufacturing of made-up textile articles
  • manufacturing of wearing apparel
  • apparel manufacturing technology

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 launderers, dry cleaners and pressers.
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.