Manufacturing
Sewing machine operator
Key facts
This job is declining in the United States. AI exposure: very low according to the ILO, low according to the BLS. Employment change in the United States by 2035: −12.7% (BLS). Future-proof jobs use similar skills: see "What next?".
The job
Sewing machine operators (ISCO 8153). Sewing machine operators monitor and operate sewing machines to make, repair, darn and renovate textile, fur, synthetic or leather garments, or embroider ornamental designs on garments or other materials.
Page built from official classifications (ILO, ESCO); figures cover all the jobs grouped here.
41 job titles linked to this page
Titles from the European ESCO classification. They are also used for search.
- alterations hand
- alterations seamstress
- alterations sewer
- alterations tailor
- bartack machinist
- clothing alteration hand
- clothing alteration machine operator
- clothing alteration machinist
- clothing alteration operator
- clothing machinist
- clothing sample machinist
- computer stitcher
- computerised embroidery machine operator
- computerized machine operator
- custom sewer
- edging machine operator
- embroidery machine operator
- embroidery machinist
- fastener sewing machine operator
- flat sewing machine operator
- garment maker
- garment sample machinist
- hook and eye machine operator
- joiner
- leather goods stitching machine operator
- manufacturer of protective clothing
- manufacturer of protective equipment
- manufacturer of safety clothing
- monogram machine operator
- pleating machine operator
- protective clothes manufacturer
- protective clothing apparel manufacturer
- protective gear manufacturer
- sample clothing sewer
- sample garment machinist
- sample sewer
- sample sewing machinist
- serger machine operator
- sewing machine operator
- sewing machine tender
- stitching machinist
What next?
Future-proof jobs that draw on skills close to this one. They are leads to explore, not an assessment of your profile.
- ChangingProduct and fashion designer
- ChangingFood production line operator
- ChangingLaundry machine operator
Indicative matches: at launch they will come from the skills listed in official occupational directories.
Gauges
No US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job: this gauge stays empty. How countries are compared
Sources
- AI exposure categories and employment projections, 2025-2035 (XLSX file)Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States · August 2026 · official statistics
- Generative AI and Jobs: a refined global index of occupational exposureInternational Labour Organization and NASK · May 2025 · large survey
- ESCO, European classification of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations (job titles and O*NET crosswalk)European Commission · version 1.2 · official statistics
- EURES report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025, annexEuropean Labour Authority · June 2026 · official statistics
Checked on 27 October 2026.