Declining
Crafts
Shoe repairer
#69Declining
Key facts
−6.5%jobs, 2025 to 2035
United StatesThis 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: −6.5% (BLS). Future-proof jobs use similar skills: see "What next?".
The job
Repairs shoes and leather goods, often also cutting keys and engraving.
72 job titles linked to this page
Titles from the European ESCO classification. They are also used for search.
- bespoke footwear technician
- bespoke orthopaedic footwear technician
- boot maker
- boot repairer
- CAD pattern maker
- CAD pattern-maker
- cobbler
- custom made footwear technician
- custom shoemaker
- customised shoe maker
- customized footwear technician
- customized shoe maker
- cutter
- die cutter
- die cutter operator
- die cutting operator
- die-cutter operator
- die-cutting operator
- footwear CAD operator
- footwear CAD pattern cutter
- footwear CAD pattern cutter footwear pattern maker CAD operator
- footwear CAD pattern-maker
- footwear CAD patternmaker
- footwear hand sewer
- footwear pattern cutter
- footwear pattern designer
- footwear pattern designer and cutter
- footwear pattern designer and maker
- footwear pattern maker
- footwear pattern-maker
- footwear pattern-maker CAD operator
- footwear patternmaker
- hand craft shoe maker
- hand laster
- hand lasting craftsman
- hand lasting operator
- hand lasting technician
- hand operator
- hand sewer, leather goods
- hand sewer, shoes
- insole technician
- leather components manipulator
- leather cutter
- leather die cutter
- leather die cutting operator
- leather die-cutting operator
- leather goods finishing operator
- leather goods hand cutting operator
- leather goods hand sewer
- leather goods hand stitcher
- leather goods manual operator
- leather hand cutting operator
- leather parts manipulator
- manual lasting operator
- manual operator
- mocassin hand stitcher
- mocassin sewer
- orthopaedic bootmaker
- orthopaedic footwear technician
- orthopaedic insole technician
- orthopaedic shoe technician
- orthopaedic shoemaker
- orthotic technician
- pattern designer and cutter
- pattern designer and maker
- shoe maker
- shoe polisher
- shoe repairer
- shoemaker
- shoes hand sewer
- shoes hand stitcher
- traditional shoe manufacturer
What next?
Future-proof jobs that draw on skills close to this one. They are leads to explore, not an assessment of your profile.
- ChangingWatchmaker
- ChangingRetail salesperson
- ChangingOrder picker
Indicative matches: at launch they will come from the skills listed in official occupational directories.
Gauges
Risk 4/5 · High
AI exposureLowBLS AI exposure category "low" (2026), higher than the ILO 2025 index (very low)
Employment outlookSharp declineBLS, 2025-2035 projections (Shoe and leather workers and repairers)
Hiring difficultyNot availableNo US indicator measures hiring difficulty job by job
PayLowBLS, 2025 median annual wage: $37,800
EntryQuickBLS, typical education needed for entry
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
- Labour needs survey (BMO) 2026France Travail · 2026 · large survey
- EURES report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025, annexEuropean Labour Authority · June 2026 · official statistics
Checked on 27 October 2026.