For building owners and facility managers, consistent, high-quality cleaning is an important aspect of building maintenance. It plays a significant role in tenant satisfaction, health and safety, compliance and the long-term value of a property. Yet over the past decade, staffing instability, labor shortages and rising service expectations have made it increasingly difficult to maintain reliable cleaning coverage across facilities.
Whether the cleaning is handled by a building service contractor (BSC) or an in-house team, workforce gaps create operational risk with real consequences. Missed shifts, understaffed crews, and communication breakdowns can lead to inconsistent service, failed inspections, and frustrated occupants. Janitors and building cleaners held about 2.4 million jobs in 2024, with roughly 788,700 job openings projected annually through 2034, due primarily to replacement needs. These numbers highlight the scale of ongoing staffing challenges in the cleaning industry. Today more than ever, facility leaders need more flexibility and visibility into how cleaning labor is sourced, scheduled and managed.
Faster Access to Reliable Cleaning Labor
Digital labor marketplaces are a practical solution to these challenges. These platforms function like Uber for the cleaning industry, connecting organizations with a vetted pool of on-demand cleaning professionals. This gives facility teams and their service partners faster access to qualified labor when and where it is most needed.
For facility managers, this means fewer disruptions when a cleaner calls off, a tenant moves in unexpectedly, or a facility requires additional support due to weather events, audits, or seasonal demand. Instead of scrambling to cover gaps, managers can quickly source supplemental labor while maintaining quality and service standards.
Improving Operational Visibility and Accountability
Beyond staffing, digital marketplaces help improve day-to-day operational efficiency. Centralized job postings, real-time communication and scheduling tools reduce manual coordination and make expectations clear for every shift.
Transparency is especially important for building owners overseeing multiple properties or vendors. Worker profiles, ratings, and verified experience allow managers to make informed decisions and maintain consistent service quality across locations. This level of visibility supports better accountability, documentation, and compliance, all of which are critical factors in regulated environments like healthcare, life sciences, and Class A commercial properties.
Supporting Higher Standards and Changing Expectations
In the past several years, client expectations for cleaning have increased significantly. From sanitation documentation and compliance tracking to faster response times and specialized cleaning requirements, facilities are being asked to do more with fewer resources and available workers. Nearly 60% of cleaning companies report that staff turnover negatively affects service quality, client satisfaction, or operational efficiency.
Digital marketplaces support this shift toward increasing expectations by helping facility teams adapt quickly without sacrificing quality. Access to flexible labor allows managers to proactively meet evolving standards, respond to audits, and scale services up or down based on building needs, rather than react according to staffing limitations.
A Smarter Approach to Facility Operations
The cleaning industry is evolving and building owners and facility managers are increasingly impacted by how labor is sourced and managed. Technology-driven marketplaces offer a smarter, more resilient approach to maintaining clean, safe, and well-managed facilities.
By bridging the gap between workforce supply and facility demand, digital marketplace platforms will help ensure that operational challenges won’t determine service quality. For facility leaders focused on performance, compliance, and occupant satisfaction, digital labor marketplaces are becoming an increasingly important part of the modern facilities toolkit.
