Career Explorer Buildings and grounds
Human edge, steady
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.
More resilient than most: more resilient than 70% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by +2.2% by 2035, slower than average.
AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.
- Median pay (2025)
- $36,840
- Job growth to 2035
- +2.2%
- Openings a year
- 322,000
- People doing it (2025)
- 2.4 million
- Usual route in
- No formal credential, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Prepare mixtures or solutions
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
- Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas
- Dispose of waste or debris
- Move materials, equipment, or supplies
What the work looks like
- Service, clean, or supply restrooms.
- Gather and empty trash.
- Clean building floors by sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, or vacuuming.
- Monitor building security and safety by performing tasks such as locking doors after operating hours or checking electrical appliance use to ensure that hazards are not created.
- Notify managers concerning the need for major repairs or additions to building operating systems.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Semiconductor processing techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 87, +8.2%
- Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, handHuman edge, steady, Index 72, +1.8%
- Automotive glass installers and repairersHuman edge, growing, Index 81, +5.7%
- Stockers and order fillersHuman edge, growing, Index 88, +8.9%
Also known as: Cleaner, Custodial Worker, Custodian, Janitor, Building Custodian, Building Services Technician (Building Services Tech), Building Services Worker, Facilities Worker.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.