Automation vs. the workforce: Will robots really replace cleaners?

Understanding this gap matters for businesses planning investments and workers assessing long-term prospects in an industry that's transforming faster than technology can keep up. The first is illustrated by the BLS’s Occupational Outlook Handbook for janitorial jobs.

What it actually reflects is that the majority of openings aren’t new jobs being created, but rather workers changing careers or retiring and thus needing to be replaced. On top of this, the handbook explicitly singles out new cleaning technology as a limiting factor.

What Happened

According to ProTeams, a commercial cleaning software platform, robotics is not the only way for companies in this industry to keep up with the growing demand for their services. Streamlining and automation of the administration side of these businesses will give cleaning.

• Here, government data shows that the number of roles in this field is expected to grow by just 2% between now and 2034, which is cited as slower than average across every occupation for.

• In total, there are around 2.45 million cleaning jobs nationally, and the BLS estimates that 351,300 openings in this field arise each year, which seems to contradict the slow growth stat.

• Government data indicates that automation will be a key cause of stagnation in cleaning and janitorial roles over the next decade, even if there will still be close to 2.5 million people working as.

Key Details

The part of the story that gets overlooked is how much it costs to acquire cleaning robots as they stand on the market at the moment, and how this is counterbalanced with the functionality they bring to the table when weighed against.

• The second half of the story of the cleaning services market comes from the impressive annual growth that’s projected, most notably in a Grand View Research report that predicts a CAGR of 6% between.

• At that point, the market will be bringing in revenues of over $147 billion a year, and will hold this upward trajectory beyond the scope of that particular report.

• The BLS pegs median pay for a cleaner at $35,930 per year, which is roughly in line with an entry-level commercial-grade cleaning robot, while high-end models cost upwards of $80,000, according to Sedona Technology.

Why It Matters

These ongoing maintenance costs must also be calculated alongside the eventual need to replace a cleaning robot outright once it reaches the end of its serviceable life. Software-dependent machines face obsolescence once manufacturers end support.

• However, Sedona Technology also points out that yearly maintenance costs for robotic cleaners can be up to 20% of the purchase price.

• This story was produced by ProTeams and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by Stacker as more details emerge