Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners

Keep buildings in clean and orderly condition. Perform heavy cleaning duties, such as cleaning floors, shampooing rugs, washing walls and glass, and removing rubbish. Duties may include tending furnace and boiler, performing routine maintenance activities, notifying management of need for repairs, and cleaning snow or debris from sidewalk.

The occupation "Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners" carries an automation risk of 25.9%, only marginally lower than its base risk of 26.2%. This relatively moderate risk reflects both the repetitive nature of many janitorial tasks and the current technological limitations in automating certain aspects of the work. While robots and cleaning machines have made significant inroads in commercial cleaning—particularly in standardized settings such as offices or schools—many tasks still require a degree of physical dexterity, adaptability, and situational judgment that machines cannot easily replicate. Additionally, the diversity of cleaning environments makes it difficult to design a one-size-fits-all automation solution. The three most automatable tasks for janitors and cleaners include "Service, clean, or supply restrooms," "Gather and empty trash," and "Clean building floors by sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, or vacuuming." Each of these activities is largely repetitive, rule-based, and performed in relatively structured environments, making them well-suited to robotic or automated equipment. For instance, restroom cleaning robots and autonomous floor scrubbers are already commercially available and can handle basic functions with limited oversight. The predictability and straightforward steps involved in these tasks make it feasible to delegate them to machines, which can reduce labor costs and increase efficiency for large facilities. Conversely, tasks such as "Steam-clean or shampoo carpets," "Mow or trim lawns or shrubbery, using mowers or hand or power trimmers, and clear debris from grounds," and "Clean chimneys, flues, and connecting pipes, using power or hand tools," are far more resistant to automation. These responsibilities typically require a higher degree of problem-solving, adaptation to irregular spaces, and hands-on skill—characteristics that are currently difficult for machines to replicate. The occupation’s main bottleneck skills, particularly originality (scored at 2.1% and 1.9%), further protect these roles from automation. Tasks that demand creative judgment, improvisation, or the ability to respond to unexpected situations present ongoing challenges for even the most advanced robotic systems, thereby limiting the scope of automation in the janitorial field.