Production · Holland code RC
Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
Press or shape articles by hand or machine.
Also called: Ironing Worker, Pants Presser, Presser, Shirt Presser, Boarder, Dry Cleaner Presser, Garment Presser, Ironing Machine Operator.
O*NET 51-6021.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $35,060
- Middle half earn $29,870 to $37,940. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Less than a High School Diploma
- 59% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers.
- Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch articles.
- Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing.
- Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing.
- Finish pleated garments, determining sizes of pleats from evidence of old pleats or from work orders, using machine presses or hand irons.
- Lower irons, rams, or pressing heads of machines into position over material to be pressed.
- Identify and treat spots on garments.
- Shrink, stretch, or block articles by hand to conform to original measurements, using forms, blocks, and steam.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking2.5 / 5
- Monitoring2.4 / 5
- Speaking2.1 / 5
- Active Learning2.1 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.0 / 5
- Active Listening2.0 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service3.6 / 5
- Production and Processing3.3 / 5
- English Language2.9 / 5
- Public Safety and Security2.9 / 5
- Education and Training2.6 / 5
- Administration and Management2.5 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic90
- Investigative8
- Artistic22
- Social2
- Enterprising0
- Conventional42
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- tailor · DE Herrenschneider/Herrenschneiderin · FR tailleur/tailleuse
- laundry ironer · DE Maschinenbügler/Maschinenbüglerin · FR repasseur en blanchisserie industrielle/repasseuse en blanchisserie industrielle
- wearing apparel presser · DE Bügler/Büglerin · FR presseur en industrie de l'habillement/presseuse en industrie de l'habillement
- clothing finisher · DE Textilverarbeiterhelfer/Textilverarbeiterhelferin · FR opérateur de finition textile/opératrice de finition textile
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Launderers, dry cleaners and pressers (9224)26,300 employed
- Packers, bottlers, canners and fillers (9132)62,500 employed
- Tailors and dressmakers (5413)12,000 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Elementary occupations”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €29,579 |
| Sweden | €28,305 |
| Austria | €27,215 |
| Netherlands | €24,577 |
| Ireland | €24,331 |
| Germany | €22,430 |
| Italy | €22,101 |
| France | €21,664 |
| Spain | €17,502 |
| Portugal | €9,424 |
| Poland | €7,534 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.95. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (51-6021).
Related careers
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