OSCA 811933

Window Cleaner

Overview

  • Employed persons

    2,800

  • Employment status

    25.9% Full time

    74.1% Part time

  • Median age

    43 years

  • Employment by sex

    11.8% Female

    88.3% Male

    Highly male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    1.6%

  • Main employing industry

    Administrative and Support Services

Indicator Window Cleaner Total employment
Employed persons 2,800 12,049,400
Median age 43 years 40 years
Full-time share 25.9% 64.2%
Part-time share 74.1% 35.8%
Female employment share 11.8% 48.5%
Male employment share 88.3% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 1.6% 2.2%
Main employing industry Administrative and Support Services Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Window Cleaners clean interior and exterior window surfaces.

What the occupation involves

  • Inspects interior and exterior windows of residential, commercial and high-rise buildings to determine the extent of cleaning required
  • Removes dirt, dust, grime and other stains from window surfaces using specialised cleaning solutions and tools
  • Cleans window frames, sills and tracks
  • Removes and replaces screens for cleaning
  • Uses ladders, scaffolding, ropes or other equipment to access windows at different heights
  • Ensures that all safety precautions are followed while working, including the use of chemicals and working at heights

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Rope Access Window Cleaner

Note: Specialisations are examples of roles in within this occupation and are not separate OSCA occupations.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 5
equivalent to secondary education, or a Certificate I).

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

Licensing or registration requirements

No licensing or registration requirements are listed for this occupation.

OSCA structure

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Window Cleaner Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Administrative and Support Services 90.5% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Construction 3.7% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Other Services 1.2% Construction 8.9%
    Accommodation and Food Services 0.7% Education and Training 8.8%
    Arts and Recreation Services 0.3% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Education and Training 0.3% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 0.3% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 0.2% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services 0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 0.0% Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    • New South Wales

      25.0%

    • Victoria

      31.7%

    • Queensland

      15.0%

    • South Australia

      10.0%

    • Tasmania

      2.7%

    • Northern Territory

      0.4%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.2%

    Window Cleaner Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 690 25.0% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 880 31.7% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 410 15.0% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 280 10.0% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 390 14.1% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 80 2.7% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 10 0.4% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 30 1.2% 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    Window Cleaner

    Total employment

    Age group Window Cleaner Total employment
    15–24 years 11.6% 14.3%
    25–34 years 23.3% 22.7%
    35–44 years 18.7% 22.3%
    45–54 years 21.3% 20.4%
    55–64 years 18.7% 15.3%
    65–74 years 6.0% 4.3%
    75 years and over 1.0% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Window Cleaner Total employment
    Female 11.8% 48.5%
    Male 88.3% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    On this page

      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

      Use of this data must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

      Download

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

      Find out more

      What is OSCA   OSCA content updates