Abstract
This study investigates absenteeism among cleaners employed by a South African cleaning services company. Despite its economic importance and the challenges faced by its workforce, the cleaning services industry remains understudied, particularly in terms of absenteeism and its impacts on cleaners' livelihoods. To fill this void, a quantitative approach was employed, utilising a dataset of 5109 cleaners to analyse the prevalence and patterns of absenteeism. Results show that Black African females were disproportionately affected, and regions such as Cape Town and the NorthWest Province displayed the highest prevalence of absenteeism among cleaners. This study contributes to the growing body of research on precarious work and informs policy discussions and interventions on improving labour practices in low-wage sectors.