Commercial cleaning in Germany: one million jobs, almost half of them minijobs

According to the 2024 skilled trades census, commercial cleaning accounts for 1,005,213 jobs in 34,289 companies, with revenue of €28.9 billion. The national trade association (BIV) calls it the largest skilled trade in Germany by employment.

A note on the statistics: since 2024 the census counts jobs, not people. Someone with two jobs is counted twice. The figures therefore cannot be compared with older ones such as 696,444 employees in 2023.

Of all jobs in 2024, about 500,000 were subject to social insurance and almost 470,000 were marginal minijobs, a share of 46.7%. In an autumn 2026 survey by the trade association, companies said almost half of their staff work in minijobs and 77% of those have another job.

This matters for clients: many cleaners work early or late hours and for several employers. Stable teams, fixed times and one responsible contact person are therefore a real mark of quality.

Commercial cleaning has its own legally binding minimum wage. In wage group 1, interior and maintenance cleaning, it rose from €14.25 (2025) to €15.00 per hour (2026). In wage group 6, glass and façade cleaning, from €17.65 to €18.40.

The ordinance expires on 31 December 2026 and the next pay round is under way. Clients should expect further increases and set up contracts so that wage rises are passed on transparently.

In the KfW-ifo skilled labour barometer of October 2025, more than 40% of building and garden services companies said a lack of skilled staff was holding them back, well above the all-sector average of 25.8%.

In 2024 Berlin's commercial cleaning trade had 2,171 companies with 71,100 jobs and €3.02 billion in revenue. Its minijob share, at about 23%, is far lower than the national average.

A low quote says little until you know how many hours are behind it. Compare offers against a written service specification: which areas, how often, in what time, to what quality standard?

Also ask who manages the staff, how cover is organised and how complaints are handled. In a sector with so many part-time and second jobs, organisation decides quality.