← All 785 jobsFile 51-6031
Sewing Machine Operators
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 15.1% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- Joint #685 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -15.1% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $36,670 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 117,200 in the US, with about 9,800 openings a year
The work, 18 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Position workpieces or materials on equipment21%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Sew garments or materials16%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Cut materials7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,462 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time.
AI helps with this: Create decorative objects or parts of objects5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 559 conversations, and it got them there 51% of the time.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Position materials or components for assembly5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Select materials or equipment for operations or projects4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 222 conversations, and it got them there 93% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
Still yours: Disassemble equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Remove workpieces from production equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment3%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain tools or equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Repair tools or equipment3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Mark materials or objects for identification2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Position tools or equipment1%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 85 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 9,800 openings a year as people retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
The jobs closest to this one. None of them is much less exposed.
- Shares 61% of the workShoe Machine Operators and Tenders5% AI does, against 0% here-6.9% by 2035 · $35,650 · High school diploma
- Shares 55% of the workWoodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders10% AI does, against 0% here-2.5% by 2035 · $43,380 · High school diploma
- Shares 51% of the workMilling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic10% AI does, against 0% here-13.2% by 2035 · $52,800 · High school diploma
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.04, higher than 8% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 51-6031 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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