Australian cleaning and construction data

How big is Australia's commercial cleaning industry, and how is construction tracking nationally? IBISWorld and ABS data, both dated and sourced.

This page compiles two sets of published Australian statistics as a reference: industry-scale figures for commercial cleaning services businesses, and national construction output data. They are two separate, independently sourced sections. Neither is evidence about the other, and no combined, ranked or comparative figure is drawn between them on this page.

For published per-session cleaning rates rather than industry-wide figures, see industrial cleaning services in Australia.

What the commercial cleaning services classification covers

IBISWorld tracks Australia's cleaning businesses under "Commercial Cleaning Services in Australia," industry code 574 (ANZSIC N7311). Its own definition, quoted in full: "Industry firms provide a range of commercial and domestic cleaning services. These services include specialised commercial and industrial cleaning services and the general cleaning of floors, windows and blinds in offices, factories, homes and other buildings." The same page states an exclusion: "The industry excludes services such as carpet cleaning, shampooing services, steam cleaning and sandblasting building exteriors."

So the figures below are broader than industrial cleaning alone in one direction (the classification counts domestic and home-cleaning businesses too) and narrower in another (it excludes steam cleaning and building-exterior sandblasting).

Source: IBISWorld, Commercial Cleaning Services in Australia - Number of Businesses Statistics

Businesses operating

Metric	Published figure
Businesses operating, 2025	45,014, up 2.4% from 2024
Average annual growth in business numbers, 2020 to 2025	5.7% a year

Source: IBISWorld, Commercial Cleaning Services in Australia - Number of Businesses Statistics

Employment

Metric	Published figure
People employed, 2025	209,159
Average annual employment growth, 2020 to 2025	5.5% a year
Average employees per business	4.6

Source: IBISWorld, Commercial Cleaning Services in Australia - Employment Statistics

Market size

Metric	Published figure
Market size, 2025	$20.2 billion
Annual growth (CAGR), 2020 to 2025	5.9%

Source: IBISWorld, Commercial Cleaning Services in Australia - Market Size Statistics

National construction output (ABS)

The Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes quarterly construction figures on a chain volume measure basis, not current-price dollars. Its own table heading, quoted directly: "Value of construction work done, chain volume measures, seasonally adjusted estimates," with the footnote "Reference year for chain volume measures is 2023-24."

For the June 2026 quarter (reference period June 2026, released 26 August 2026), the changes below are quarter-on-quarter against the immediately preceding quarter, not year-on-year (the source's own table publishes a quarter-on-quarter percentage column and a year-on-year percentage column side by side; this page uses the quarter-on-quarter column). Under "Key statistics" for the June quarter, seasonally adjusted, the ABS states: "Total construction work done fell 2.1% to $82.5b," "Building work done rose 1.3% to $45.8b," and "Engineering work done fell 6.0% to $36.7b."

This is ABS's Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary release for the June 2026 quarter. ABS's own release schedule shows the next release, for the September 2026 quarter, is due 25 November 2026. After that date this section is superseded and should be re-checked against the source directly.

Category	Jun 2026 qtr value	Change vs Mar 2026 qtr
Total construction work done	$82.5 billion	-2.1%
Building work done	$45.8 billion	+1.3%
Engineering work done	$36.7 billion	-6.0%

Chain volume measures, seasonally adjusted, reference year 2023-24. Figures are quarter-on-quarter against the immediately preceding quarter, not year-on-year; the same ABS release also publishes year-on-year percentages, not used here to avoid mixing the two bases in one figure.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary (June 2026 quarter)

How these two sections relate

These are not evidence about each other. The IBISWorld figures count businesses, employment and market size within one tracked industry classification; the ABS figures measure the value of construction work put in place nationally, on a different basis (chain volume measures, not current prices) and a different reporting cadence (quarterly against annual). No combined, ranked or comparative figure is drawn between them on this page.

Sources

• IBISWorld, Commercial Cleaning Services in Australia, Number of Businesses Statistics. Fetched 16 August 2026.
• IBISWorld, Commercial Cleaning Services in Australia, Employment Statistics. Fetched 16 August 2026.
• IBISWorld, Commercial Cleaning Services in Australia, Market Size Statistics. Fetched 16 August 2026.
• Australian Bureau of Statistics, Construction Work Done, Australia, Preliminary, June 2026 quarter (released 26 August 2026). Fetched 2 September 2026.