Production · Holland code RC

Sewing Machine Operators

Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.

Also called: Sample Maker, Seamstress, Sewer, Sewing Machine Operator, Line Closer, Machine Operator, Prototype Sewer, Seamer.

O*NET 51-6031.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $36,670; Middle half earn $31,960 to $42,830. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Less than a High School Diploma; 53% 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.

Monitor machine operation to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread, or machine malfunctions.
Cut materials according to specifications, using blades, scissors, or electric knives.
Place spools of thread, cord, or other materials on spindles, insert bobbins, and thread ends through machine guides and components.
Position items under needles, using marks on machines, clamps, templates, or cloth as guides.
Guide garments or garment parts under machine needles and presser feet to sew parts together.
Remove holding devices and finished items from machines.
Match cloth pieces in correct sequences prior to sewing them, and verify that dye lots and patterns match.
Fold or stretch edges or lengths of items while sewing to facilitate forming specified sections.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Monitoring3.1 / 5
Active Listening2.8 / 5
Critical Thinking2.8 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.6 / 5
Speaking2.1 / 5
Active Learning2.1 / 5

Knowledge areas

English Language2.7 / 5
Production and Processing2.5 / 5
Mathematics2.3 / 5
Education and Training2.2 / 5
Customer and Personal Service2.2 / 5
Public Safety and Security2.1 / 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.

Realistic96
Investigative6
Artistic13
Social3
Enterprising2
Conventional50

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)

dressmaker · DE Damenschneider/Damenschneiderin · FR couturier/couturière
tailor · DE Herrenschneider/Herrenschneiderin · FR tailleur/tailleuse
embroiderer · DE Textilgestalter im Handwerk – Sticken/Textilgestalterin im Handwerk – Sticken · FR brodeur/brodeuse
sewing machinist · DE Textil- und Modenäher/Textil- und Modenäherin · FR couseur à la machine/couseuse à la machine
sewing machine operator · DE Maschinennäher/Maschinennäherin · FR opérateur de machine à coudre/opératrice de machine à coudre
clothing alteration machinist · DE Änderungschneider/Änderungsschneiderin · FR retoucheur de confection/retoucheuse de confection

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Sewing machinists (8146)19,100 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 “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. 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.

Median annual earnings, Plant and machine operators and assemblers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€39,630
Netherlands	€37,567
Austria	€37,304
Sweden	€36,005
Germany	€34,433
Ireland	€32,617
France	€28,550
Italy	€28,330
Spain	€24,409
Portugal	€11,309
Poland	€10,259

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 -0.96. 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 (51-6031).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test