jobfacts

Window cleaners

SOC 2020 9221

Window cleaners wash and polish windows and other glass fittings.

Also calledWindow cleaning contractorWindows cleanerWindow cleanerCleaning contractorCleaner
Typical full-time pay£29,2002025 Provisional
People in the job22,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month150↓ 14%on last year · 366th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time window cleaners earn, 2025
£29,200 typicaln/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%Not published
Median£29,200
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
More than half (78%) of window cleaners work for themselves. These pay figures only cover employees, so they may not reflect what self-employed window cleaners earn.
Typical pay by regionUK median £29,200
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
Show as table
UK median, £29,200
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 2 years
  • 2023 £22,200
  • 2025 Provisional£29,200
↑ 31% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 150 jobs for window 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 (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026149
Jul 2026171
Jun 2026147
May 2026183
Apr 2026149
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026112
Jan 2026162
Dec 202586
Nov 2025143
Oct 2025163
Sept 2025181
Aug 2025163
Jul 2025183
Jun 2025194
May 2025219
Apr 2025164
Mar 2025193
Feb 2025175
Jan 2025162
Dec 202499
Nov 2024155
Oct 2024177
Sept 2024213
Aug 2024207
Jul 2024222
Jun 2024229
May 2024249
Apr 2024176
Mar 2024119
Feb 2024120
Jan 2024130
Dec 202363
Nov 202354
Oct 202370
Sept 2023119
Aug 2023171
Jul 2023183
Jun 2023669
May 2023976
Apr 2023161
Mar 2023145
Feb 2023162
Jan 2023196
Dec 2022137
Nov 2022176
Oct 2022188
Sept 2022188
Aug 2022235
Jul 2022215
Jun 2022142
May 2022208
Apr 2022122
Mar 2022162
Feb 2022155
Jan 2022179
Dec 2021116
Nov 2021155
Oct 2021185
Sept 2021153
Aug 2021188
Jul 2021235
Jun 2021180
May 2021132
Apr 2021127
Mar 2021173
Feb 202196
Jan 202193
Dec 2020136
Nov 2020277
Oct 2020133
Sept 2020173
Aug 2020119
Jul 2020144
Jun 2020164
May 2020173
Apr 2020141
Mar 2020147
Feb 2020251
Jan 2020172
Dec 2019120
Nov 2019222
Oct 2019172
Sept 2019190
Aug 2019189
Jul 2019223
Jun 2019199
May 2019174
Apr 2019163
Mar 2019167
Feb 2019152
Jan 2019148
Dec 2018157
Nov 2018134
Oct 2018152
Sept 2018238
Aug 2018226
Jul 2018201
Jun 2018270
May 2018158
Apr 2018172
Mar 2018186
Feb 2018189
Jan 2018200
Dec 2017135
Nov 2017196
Oct 2017246
Sept 2017169
Aug 2017229
Jul 2017208
Jun 2017268
May 2017250
Apr 2017263
Mar 2017263
Feb 2017230
Jan 2017243
Is there a shortage of window 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 advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density, hours and earnings due to proportion of self employed workers.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
5.4%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for elementary cleaning occupations, which includes window cleaners. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London64
Glasgow City12
Manchester11
Leeds10
Swindon8
Birmingham7
Liverpool7
West Northamptonshire7
Cambridge6
North Yorkshire6
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where window cleaners 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
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of window cleaners
n/p
25%!
19%!
22%!
26%!
7.8%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3425% (small sample)
35–4419% (small sample)
45–5422% (small sample)
55–6426% (small sample)
65+7.8% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent–
Not published
Higher education below degree!5.9%
A levels or equivalent!29%
GCSEs or equivalent!29%
Other qualifications!8.8%
No qualifications!23%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalentNot published
Higher education below degree5.9% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent29% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent29% (small sample)
Other qualifications8.8% (small sample)
No qualifications23% (small sample)

Main employers: other building and industrial cleaning activities (100%), other cleaning activities (4.3%).

How to get in

Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 29%
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work
Self-employed
78%
of people in the job

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • secures ladders and other equipment to gain safe access to glass
  • selects appropriate cleaning or polishing implement
  • washes and polishes glass with brushes, cloths, sponges, water and solvents

Skills

  • clean glass surfaces
  • complete report sheets of activity
  • dispose of non-hazardous waste
  • follow control of substances hazardous to health procedures
  • follow organisational guidelines in the cleaning industry
  • follow reporting procedures
  • handle chemical cleaning agents
  • maintain cleaning equipment
  • maintain inventory of cleaning supplies
  • maintain personal hygiene standards when cleaning
  • prepare cleaning materials for window cleaning
  • protect window frames
  • report on window damage
  • use a water-fed pole system

Knowledge

  • cleaning industry health and safety measures
  • personal protective equipment
  • risk assessment for window cleaning
  • customer service

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 window 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.