Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers

AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
97%
risk level
POLLING
65%
Based on 35 votes
LABOR DEMAND
GROWTH
11.9%
by year 2032
WAGES
$29,060
or $13.97 per hour
Volume
175,730
as of 2022
SUMMARY
JOB SCORE
3.2/10

Want this summary on your site? Embed code:

Automation risk

97% (Imminent Risk)

Imminent Risk (81-100%): Occupations in this level have an extremely high likelihood of being automated in the near future. These jobs consist primarily of repetitive, predictable tasks with little need for human judgment.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Assisting and Caring for Others

  • Manual Dexterity

User poll

65% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted that it's probable this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 97% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?






Growth

Very fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers' job openings is expected to rise 11.9% by 2032

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2021 and 2031
Updated projections are due 09-2023.

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2022, the median annual wage for 'Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers' was $29,060, or $13 per hour

'Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers' were paid 37.2% lower than the national median wage, which stood at $46,310

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2022 there were 175,730 people employed as 'Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers' within the United States.

This represents around 0.12% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 841 people are employed as 'Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers'.

Job description

Operate or tend washing or dry-cleaning machines to wash or dry-clean industrial or household articles, such as cloth garments, suede, leather, furs, blankets, draperies, linens, rugs, and carpets. Includes spotters and dyers of these articles.

SOC Code: 51-6011.00

Resources

If you're thinking of starting a new career, or looking to change jobs, we've created a handy job search tool which might just help you land that perfect new role.

Search jobs in your local area

Comments

Mimi (Highly likely) says
We have been looking for employees for months without a success, if a technology like that becomes available, we will probably be the first in line to implement it.
Looking forward to it.
Oct 11, 2023 at 10:40 AM
Janko (Low) says
well, before the process of cleaning, the garments are inspected for damages, stains (by sight, touch, smell), composition (materials).

Then, pre-spotting is done, sorting (which cleaning process should be taken), cleaning.

Also ironing - some fine touch skills of the operators are needed.

I can only see robots in large laundries, where the garments are pre-defined, large quantities of same model and material (like in hospital or hotel)
Oct 20, 2019 at 10:33 PM

Leave a reply about this occupation

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

People also viewed

Lawyers
Computer Programmers
Preschool, Elementary, Middle, Secondary, and Special Education Teachers
Graphic Designers
Accountants and Auditors