The global cleaning services market, valued at approximately A$77.4 billion in 2020, is projected to reach A$154.9 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of 6.5 per cent, according to Allied Market Research. For Australian cleaning businesses navigating rising labour costs and shifting client expectations, that figure carries real weight, though Associated Cleaning executive business manager Troy Stahlhut urges the industry to read it carefully.
“The doubling headline gets quoted a lot, and I’d treat it with some caution,” he says, “at least in the commercial space, I don’t see the market doubling. That said, the direction isn’t in dispute: commercial cleaning is still likely to outpace most other service-based sectors.” He characterises the local trajectory as “a sustained and predictable growth path, not a post-pandemic spike”, a distinction that matters for operators making long-term investment decisions. Australian commercial cleaning sits at around A$20 billion across more than 44,000 businesses and 200,000 workers, making it one of the largest and most fragmented service sectors in the country.
Contract cleaning and the new tender landscape
Contract cleaning, which encompasses facility management, outsourced janitorial services and speciality disinfection, recorded a value of approximately A$533.6 billion globally in 2024, forecast to reach A$771.6 billion by 2030. Long-term agreements already account for more than 65 per cent of global market revenues, and the nature of winning those contracts has shifted considerably in Australia.
“Clients are far more sophisticated than they were five years ago, and tenders that once led with price now lead with compliance, accountability and, increasingly, sustainability credentials,” Stahlhut says. He places the responsibility squarely on the industry: “The onus is on us to articulate the value we create. If we don’t give buyers a reason to decide on something other than price, we shouldn’t be surprised when they default to it.” His response to operators lamenting a tougher market is equally direct. “The market has always been competitive and always will be. The operators who win consistently are the ones running their own race and offering solutions to problems.”
Technology, trust and the customer experience
Robotic scrubbers and AI scheduling tools are becoming operational benchmarks in larger commercial contracts, but Stahlhut reframes where the real return lies. “So much of the conversation has gone to robotics, and there’s a place for it, but as I see it, the real value isn’t a better clean, it’s a better customer experience,” he says. His organisation has invested in customer portals, bespoke audit programmes and live scheduling to create full transparency around cleaning outcomes. “When a client can see exactly what’s being done, when, and to what standard, the relationship stops being transactional. That’s what wins contracts and, more importantly, retains them.”
He also cautions against chasing technology without strategic clarity. “It’s easy to get caught up in all the new tech options without real thought to what problems in your business and for your customer you are actually trying to solve.”
Where the growth will land
Stahlhut identifies three opportunity areas for Australian operators: outcome-based contracts focused on measurable results rather than hours on site; high-compliance verticals such as healthcare, aged care, education and food processing, where accountability creates margins that price-only players cannot reach; and what he calls ‘hygiene and quality service assurance’, the data, reporting and verification that wrap around the cleaning, not just the labour itself. Underpinning all three is what Stahlhut defines as workforce quality. “In a tight labour market, the operators who can guarantee a compliant, well-managed and fairly-paid workforce will take share from those competing on price alone.”
