Job market information
Finding out about cleaning and support services
The cleaning and support services industry is part of the facilities management, housing, property, planning, and parking sector, represented by Asset Skills Sector Skills Council. The sector workforce, which has continued to grow since 1998, represents 3% of the total UK workforce.
The cleaning and support services industry covers all forms of contract cleaning including: building interiors; transport vehicles; food premises; window and facade cleaning; highways and land; plus carpets and upholstery.
Key facts:
- The UK market for contract cleaning is estimated to be £5.6 billion.
- There are around 448,400 people working in the industry in just over 32,000 companies.
- Migrant workers make up 37% of the English cleaning workforce.
- 86% of all cleaning companies have 10 or less employees.
Jobs in the industry range from: cleaner, supervisor, caretaker, window cleaner, upholstery cleaner, highways and street cleaner, food premises cleaner, crime scene cleaner, manager, pest control technician.
Entry and progression
There are no formal entry requirements for jobs in the cleaning and support services industry. However, employability skills including literacy, numeracy, communication, language, team working and customer service skills are an advantage. There are a range of industry endorsed courses, apprenticeships and training schemes for those wishing to enter the industry or change career. Many take the opportunity to gain experience in the industry before starting up their own business.
Career development opportunities include:
- Those in basic cleaning jobs can progress mainly by taking on team leadership and supervisory roles, which provide employees with transferable skills to move into other service industries, such as facilities management and retail.
- Specific cleaning functions (e.g. food areas) can lead to catering and health job roles.
- Street cleaning roles can lead into a wide range of local environmental and council service job roles.
- People wanting to progress to area manager roles can develop people skills, financial management skills and customer care skills that can be transferred to other sectors.
- There are opportunities to move from cleaning into facilities management roles, as cleaning is a specialist service provided by facilities management companies.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
448,400 |
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| Number of UK employers: |
over 32,300 |
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| Gender: |
46% male |
54% female |
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| Age: |
13% of the workforce is aged 16‐24 years |
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| 19% 25‐34 years |
| 25% 35‐44 years |
| 21% 45‐54 years |
| 22% 55 years and over |
| 18% of the workforce report having a disability. |
| 70% of the workforce has attained a below NVQ Level 2 qualification, 13% NVQ level 2 and 17% NVQ level 3 and above. |
[N.B. Data derived from Annual Population Survey, 2008.]
Employment trends and future prospects
The demand for cleaning is perceived as being less subject to the economic downturn than other sectors as cleaning remains a necessity. The contract cleaning and support services industry is thriving, but remains competitive, with an estimated turnover of around £5.6 billion annually. In addition to this, there are many public and private sector organisations that employ their own cleaning staff in‐house.
The cleaning and support services industry continues to suffer from image, recruitment and retention problems. Employers have welcomed migrant workers, who now make up 37% of the English workforce.
Skill requirements and shortages
Skills shortages within the cleaning and support services industry include: management and leaderships; technical skills; and employability skills (such as literacy, numeracy and English as a second or other language (ESOL)).
Occupational trends
Due to the nature of the cleaning and support services industry, occupations are mainly low skilled. A typical cleaning progression route could be from:
- cleaning ‐> supervisory roles ‐> caretaking ‐> cleaning management
The industry is anticipating a decline in the number of cleaners (often working part‐time), as companies shift towards daytime cleaning creating full‐time jobs. However, there are also indications that the demand for domestic cleaners may increase as more people work longer hours to keep their job.
National and regional data
The following table provides a breakdown of the number of cleaning sector employees in each of the nations and English regions.
| East Midlands |
22,000 |
In comparison with other English regions, the East Midlands has a high proportion (23%) of its workforce between the ages 16‐24 |
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| East Of England |
45,800 |
The majority of the cleaning workforce (91%) in the East of England is aged over 25 |
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| London |
110,200 |
London is the largest employer of the cleaning industry at 28% |
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| North East |
16,700 |
The North East employs 4% of the cleaning workforce |
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| North West |
47,100 |
The North West has a similar profile to the UK. The workforce is 58% female and the majority (56%) work on a part‐time basis |
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| South East |
64,600 |
After London, the South East is the second highest employer of the cleaning workforce at 16% |
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| South West |
27,700 |
A significant proportion of the cleaning workforce in the South West is female (62%) |
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| West Midlands |
24,800 |
A high proportion of the cleaning workforce in the West Midlands is employed on a full‐time basis (55%) |
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| Yorkshire & the Humber |
24,100 |
The workforce in the Yorkshire and Humber region is predominately male (59%) |
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| Northern Ireland |
9,100* |
The majority of the workforce in the cleaning industry in Northern Ireland (74%) is aged 25 and over. A higher than average proportion of the workforce is female (67%) |
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| Scotland |
42,400 |
Scotland employs 9% of the UK cleaning workforce, with 52% employed on a part‐time basis |
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| Wales |
12,900 |
Wales employs 3% of the UK cleaning workforce, with a significantly high proportion employed on a part‐time basis (60%) |
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Source: Annual Business Inquiry, 2008 *Northern Ireland Census of Employment, 2007
Salary levels
Some suggested salary ranges for those working in the industry include:
- Cleaner £10,000 ‐ £14,500
- Chimney sweep £10,000 ‐ £20,000
- Highways cleaner £14,000 ‐ £20,000
- Caretaker £16,000 ‐ £20,000
- Car valet £12,500 ‐ £24,000
- Carpet cleaner £11,000 ‐ £25,000
- Cleaning supervisor £18,000 ‐ £25,000
- Window cleaner £15,000 ‐ £28,000
- Cleaning manager £19,000 ‐ £29,000
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using Asset Skills AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
