Why Is It So Hard to Hire Janitors? – 3 Trends You Should Know

Hiring janitorial staff has become a serious challenge for many businesses. While some parts of the workforce are recovering, the janitorial industry is still dealing with a shortage of available workers. This shortage didn’t happen overnight—it's the result of several ongoing trends that continue to shape the labor market. Here are three important factors behind the difficulty in hiring janitorial workers today.

Trend #1 – A Shift, Not a Departure

You’ve likely heard about the “Great Resignation,” where millions left their jobs in 2021 and 2022—over 50 million in 2022 alone. While 2023 saw fewer resignations, with 30.6 million by October, the bigger picture reveals something different. Since late 2020, more people have been hired than have quit, meaning many workers are simply moving to different jobs, not leaving the workforce entirely. In the janitorial field, this has led to a steady outflow of workers heading to other roles that offer better pay or more desirable conditions. This trend is more of a reshuffling of the workforce than a full resignation.

Trend #2 – Immigration Slowdown Hits Staffing Levels

Legal immigration to the U.S. has fallen sharply in recent years. Between 2020 and 2021, net migration added only 247,000 people to the U.S. population. That’s a massive drop—down 76% from the 1,049,000 increase between 2015 and 2016. This is a big concern for the janitorial industry, where immigrants make up about 38.2% of the workforce. As immigration numbers have declined, so has the availability of workers for these roles, and the gap doesn’t appear to be closing any time soon.

Trend #3 – Women Still Face Barriers to Returning to Work

During the early days of the pandemic, 3.5 million mothers exited the workforce, dropping female participation from roughly 70% to 55%. While participation has improved since then, it hasn’t fully returned to previous levels or the peak rate of 60.2% set in 2001. One major reason? Caregiving responsibilities. About 27% of women surveyed say they’re unable to return to work because they’re caring for children or other family members. Since over half of janitorial workers are women, this ongoing issue is making hiring even harder for companies in the cleaning industry.

How to Respond to the Hiring Challenge

Solving the hiring problem in janitorial services calls for more than just filling out job postings. Companies need to offer better pay, provide flexible schedules, and build an environment where workers feel respected and supported. Understanding the bigger trends at play can help business leaders make smarter hiring decisions and build teams that stick around for the long haul.