Sewers, Hand
Also called: Alteration Specialist, Couturier, Custom Clothier, SeamstressSew, join, reinforce, or finish, usually with needle and thread, a variety of manufactured items. Includes weavers and stitchers.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 10 rated tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 12.0% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.8% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Tailors, dressmakers, and sewers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 63% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.8.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $42,420 | $34,850 to $52,200 | 110 |
| Colorado | $47,600 | $41,850 to $48,580 | not published |
| Florida | $38,480 | $29,570 to $40,810 | 140 |
| Georgia | $38,210 | $35,380 to $46,140 | 120 |
| Illinois | $36,480 | $36,450 to $44,420 | not published |
| Indiana | $34,410 | $29,900 to $38,940 | not published |
| Iowa | $42,290 | $39,570 to $44,730 | 40 |
| Louisiana | $27,040 | $27,040 to $30,620 | not published |
| Massachusetts | $38,680 | $31,200 to $42,240 | 40 |
| Mississippi | not published | not published | 100 |
| Nevada | $39,440 | $39,440 to $39,780 | not published |
| New Jersey | $36,400 | $35,720 to $40,280 | 40 |
| New York | $37,380 | $36,510 to $39,420 | 120 |
| North Carolina | $36,550 | $32,520 to $39,720 | 70 |
| Pennsylvania | $35,560 | $33,830 to $35,560 | 230 |
| Puerto Rico | $21,840 | $21,840 to $22,570 | 30 |
| South Carolina | $39,690 | $39,580 to $41,600 | not published |
| Texas | $29,320 | $20,710 to $37,970 | 240 |
| Washington | $45,170 | $41,600 to $45,170 | not published |
Nationally: $36,480. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 10 rated tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Trim excess threads or edges of parts, using scissors or knives. | Not published |
| AI + software | Select thread, twine, cord, or yarn to be used, and thread needles. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure and align parts, fasteners, or trimmings, following seams, edges, or markings on parts. | Not published |
| Not much | Use different sewing techniques such as felling, tacking, basting, embroidery, and fagoting. | Not published |
| Not much | Sew, join, reinforce, or finish parts of articles, such as garments, books, mattresses, toys, and wigs, using needles and thread or other materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Smooth seams with heated irons, flat bones, or rubbing sticks. | Not published |
See all 11 tasks
| Not much | Fold, twist, stretch, or drape material, and secure articles in preparation for sewing. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Sew buttonholes, or add lace or other trimming. | Not published |
| Not rated | Fit garments on clients, altering as needed. | Not published |
| Not much | Draw and cut patterns according to specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Tie, knit, weave or knot ribbon, yarn, or decorative materials. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 11 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 11 tasks fall under 10 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut materials | |||
| Sew garments or materials | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Design materials or devices | |||
| Assemble products or work aids | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment |
Show all 10 activities
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Take physical measurements of patients or clients |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for sewers, hand specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 191 moves in
- 1 Loan Officers Very high +1.1% 19%
- 2 Natural Sciences Managers High +8.2% 10%
- 3 Sales Managers High +4.5% 7%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 7%
- 11 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 2%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 82% less than high school
- 11% high school
- 4% some college
- 2% associate's
- 1% professional doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 16 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 23% less than high school
- 27% high school
- 15% some college
- 11% associate's
- 20% bachelor's
- 3% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Tailors, dressmakers, and sewers” · 654 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Tailors, dressmakers, and sewers”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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