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Building cleaning workers

How to become a Building Cleaner

Also called: Window cleaner, Toilet cleaner, Office cleaner, Floor scrubber operator, Floor polisher

Cleans all kinds of buildings, from office blocks to shops, schools and hospitals.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say high school is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. People also join mid-career, for example changing from other jobs or homemakers returning to work. If you join as a permanent employee, once you gain experience and become a site supervisor you also plan the work and staffing. A related qualification is the building cleaning exam in the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) run by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, which is valued as proof of skill. The first grade is needed to become a cleaning work supervisor when a building cleaning business registers under the Act on Maintenance of Sanitation in Buildings. You need to learn about building materials and cleaning products and how to use machines, detergents and floor care products. You work in clients' offices and shops, so earning their trust is important. The job suits people who like things clean and are careful and thorough, and, since much of the work is done together, people who work well in a team.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Building Cleaner?

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. People also join mid-career, for example changing from other jobs or homemakers returning to work. If you join as a permanent employee, once you gain experience and become a site supervisor you also plan the work and staffing. A related qualification is the building cleaning exam in the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) run by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, which is valued as proof of skill. The first grade is needed to become a cleaning work supervisor when a building cleaning business registers under the Act on Maintenance of Sanitation in Buildings. You need to learn about building materials and cleaning products and how to use machines, detergents and floor care products. You work in clients' offices and shops, so earning their trust is important. The job suits people who like things clean and are careful and thorough, and, since much of the work is done together, people who work well in a team.

How much does a Building Cleaner earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥2,974,100 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare).

Do you need a degree to become a Building Cleaner?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 8% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: National trade skills test (技能検定).

Will AI change the work of a Building Cleaner?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026