Textile Bleaching and Dyeing Machine Operators and Tenders
Also called: Dye Machine Operator, Dye Operator, Dyer, Machine Operator (Machine Op)Operate or tend machines to bleach, shrink, wash, dye, or finish textiles or synthetic or glass fibers.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 5 of its 22 rated tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 12.5% 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, 4.5% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Textile machine setters, operators, and tenders”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 8.4 hires for every 10 job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing, which employs about 100% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $33,190 | $32,460 to $33,700 | 100 |
| California | $36,670 | $36,660 to $44,790 | 880 |
| Florida | $29,850 | $27,970 to $31,270 | 100 |
| Georgia | $41,960 | $36,140 to $46,820 | 490 |
| Michigan | $44,720 | $39,490 to $46,700 | 60 |
| Mississippi | $43,640 | $28,860 to $46,980 | 80 |
| New Jersey | $36,570 | $32,820 to $45,280 | 140 |
| New York | $39,030 | $38,640 to $47,780 | 120 |
| North Carolina | $37,610 | $34,420 to $44,080 | 980 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,420 | $34,900 to $45,680 | 250 |
| Rhode Island | $45,930 | $45,120 to $47,590 | 210 |
| South Carolina | $39,410 | $37,410 to $46,210 | 770 |
| Tennessee | $37,410 | $31,090 to $39,110 | 270 |
| Wisconsin | $30,930 | $26,200 to $39,360 | 90 |
Nationally: $38,180. 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 5 of its 22 rated tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Notify supervisors or mechanics of equipment malfunctions. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust equipment controls to maintain specified heat, tension, and speed. | Not published |
| Not much | Start and control machines and equipment to wash, bleach, dye, or otherwise process and finish fabric, yarn, thread, or other textile goods. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor factors such as temperatures and dye flow rates to ensure that they are within specified ranges. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with coworkers to get information about order details, processing plans, or problems that occur. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine and feel products to identify defects and variations from coloring and other processing standards. | Not published |
See all 23 tasks
| Not much | Add dyes, water, detergents, or chemicals to tanks to dilute or strengthen solutions, according to established formulas and solution test results. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe display screens, control panels, equipment, and cloth entering or exiting processes to determine if equipment is operating correctly. | Not published |
| Not rated | Weigh ingredients, such as dye, to be mixed together for use in textile processing. | Not published |
| Not much | Soak specified textile products for designated times. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect machinery to determine necessary adjustments and repairs. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove dyed articles from tanks and machines for drying and further processing. | Not published |
| Not much | Test solutions used to process textile goods to detect variations from standards. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare dyeing machines for production runs, and conduct test runs of machines to ensure their proper operation. | Not published |
| Not much | Thread ends of cloth or twine through specified sections of equipment prior to processing. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record production information such as fabric yardage processed, temperature readings, fabric tensions, and machine speeds. | Not published |
| AI + software | Key in processing instructions to program electronic equipment. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Perform machine maintenance, such as cleaning and oiling equipment, and repair or replace worn or defective parts. | Not published |
| AI + software | Study guides, charts, and specification sheets, and confer with supervisors to determine machine setup requirements. | Not published |
| Not much | Mount rolls of cloth on machines, using hoists, or place textile goods in machines or pieces of equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Sew ends of cloth together, by hand or using machines, to form endless lengths of cloth to facilitate processing. | Not published |
| Not much | Ravel seams that connect cloth ends when processing is completed. | Not published |
| Not much | Install, level, and align components such as gears, chains, dies, cutters, and needles. | 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. 1 of the 23 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 23 tasks fall under 24 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.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #31 Program computer systems or production equipment
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Sew garments or materials | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Program computer systems or production equipment | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance |
Show all 24 activities
| Set up equipment | |||
| Test performance of equipment or systems | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Test characteristics of materials or products | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Repair tools or equipment | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment | |||
| Remove workpieces from production equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Configuration or infrastructure42%
- A plan or strategy10%
- A script or snippet10%
- An analysis or summary5%
- An email or message3%
How they worked with Claude
58% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
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 textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders 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 next
of 1,008 moves out
- 1 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 5%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 3 Computer Programmers Very high -7.3% 4%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 4%
- 5 Computer User Support Specialists Very high -3.5% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 845 moves in
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 8%
- 2 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 3 Computer User Support Specialists Very high -3.5% 3%
- 4 Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity Moderate +4.1% 3%
- 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%
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
- 35% less than high school
- 56% high school
- 2% some college
- 6% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 16 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 34% less than high school
- 31% high school
- 16% some college
- 10% associate's
- 7% bachelor's
- 2% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Textile machine setters, operators, and tenders” · 131 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
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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