Production · Holland code RAC

Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.

Also called: Alterations Sewer, Dressmaker, Seamstress, Tailor, Alterations Expert, Bridal Designer, Clothing Pattern Designer, Custom Dressmaker.

O*NET 51-6052.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $41,640; Middle half earn $35,230 to $50,200. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 58% 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.

Measure parts, such as sleeves or pant legs, and mark or pin-fold alteration lines.
Remove stitches from garments to be altered, using rippers or razor blades.
Sew garments, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
Let out or take in seams in suits and other garments to improve fit.
Measure customers, using tape measures, and record measurements.
Fit and study garments on customers to determine required alterations.
Trim excess material, using scissors.
Assemble garment parts and join parts with basting stitches, using needles and thread or sewing machines.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.0 / 5
Speaking3.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Monitoring2.8 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.6 / 5
Active Learning2.6 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.0 / 5
English Language3.6 / 5
Production and Processing3.3 / 5
Administration and Management3.2 / 5
Economics and Accounting3.2 / 5
Design3.0 / 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.

Realistic81
Investigative3
Artistic49
Social17
Enterprising24
Conventional36

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)

clothing fashion designer · DE Modedesigner Bekleidung/Modedesignerin Bekleidung · FR styliste
dressmaker · DE Damenschneider/Damenschneiderin · FR couturier/couturière
milliner · DE Modist/Modistin · FR modiste chapelier/modiste chapelière
tailor · DE Herrenschneider/Herrenschneiderin · FR tailleur/tailleuse
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

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Clothing, fashion and accessories designers (3422)18,300 employed
Sewing machinists (8146)19,100 employed
Design occupations n.e.c. (3429)39,100 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 “Craft and related trades workers”. 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, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

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 middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.43. 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 (51-6052).

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