Newcomer

Types of cleaning employers in Canada — and what each one pays

Lesson 2 of 6 in Working as a Cleaner in Canada · 22 minutes

Cleaning isn't one job — it's many. The pay, hours, training, and stability vary widely depending on the employer. This lesson maps the six main types you'll encounter and what to expect from each.

What you'll learn

  • Identify the six main types of cleaning employers
  • Compare their typical pay, hours, and benefits
  • Match your situation (newcomer, full-time, part-time, student) to a fit
  • Recognize the trade-offs between fast hiring and long-term security

From the lesson

Most newcomers think 'cleaning job' means one thing. It doesn't. The cleaner who does turnovers at a Toronto hotel is in a very different industry than the cleaner who maintains a hospital, who is in a different industry than the cleaner who does residential homes. Pay ranges from minimum wage at small contractors to much higher wages at unionized hospital sites. For current wages where you live, check Job Bank (jobbank.gc.ca, under Wages). Hours range from gig work to permanent full-time with pension. This lesson maps the landscape so you can choose deliberately.

1. Commercial cleaning contractors

These are companies whose job is providing cleaning to other businesses — offices, banks,…