Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Also called: Knitter, Machine Operator, Tufting Operator, WeaverSet up, operate, or tend machines that knit, loop, weave, or draw in textiles.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 5 of its 19 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 13.7% 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 96% 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 | $37,340 | $32,050 to $46,700 | 770 |
| California | $44,530 | $37,950 to $45,720 | 590 |
| Georgia | $40,930 | $38,870 to $44,890 | 3,550 |
| Illinois | $42,950 | $36,150 to $47,710 | 70 |
| Indiana | $37,160 | $35,050 to $48,100 | 50 |
| Iowa | $33,730 | $31,680 to $41,550 | 70 |
| Louisiana | $36,860 | $26,370 to $37,700 | 60 |
| Maine | $48,350 | $45,400 to $48,860 | 160 |
| Massachusetts | $44,190 | $39,450 to $48,110 | 180 |
| Michigan | $38,120 | $26,270 to $44,500 | 90 |
| Minnesota | $46,430 | $38,410 to $53,530 | 50 |
| Mississippi | $35,370 | $35,370 to $43,310 | 110 |
| New Hampshire | $48,440 | $41,530 to $53,160 | 70 |
| New Jersey | $36,850 | $34,350 to $41,350 | 60 |
| New York | $49,570 | $43,560 to $49,570 | 230 |
| North Carolina | $36,700 | $29,990 to $41,420 | 2,730 |
| Ohio | $45,040 | $38,290 to $60,510 | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,580 | $38,500 to $52,180 | 510 |
| Rhode Island | $38,760 | $33,220 to $46,300 | 250 |
| South Carolina | $39,760 | $37,760 to $44,870 | 1,500 |
| Tennessee | $33,550 | $32,750 to $37,220 | 380 |
| Texas | $34,790 | $24,330 to $37,590 | 170 |
| Virginia | $39,470 | $37,510 to $42,960 | 580 |
| Washington | $48,220 | $48,220 to $48,220 | 110 |
| Wisconsin | $45,610 | $37,280 to $61,060 | 150 |
Nationally: $39,530. 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 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Thread yarn, thread, and fabric through guides, needles, and rollers of machines for weaving, knitting, or other processing. | Not published |
| AI + software | Notify supervisors or repair staff of mechanical malfunctions. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect products to ensure that specifications are met and to determine if machines need adjustment. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe woven cloth to detect weaving defects. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect machinery to determine whether repairs are needed. | Not published |
| Not much | Start machines, monitor operations, and make adjustments as needed. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| Not much | Stop machines when specified amounts of product have been produced. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove defects in cloth by cutting and pulling out filling. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine looms to determine causes of loom stoppage, such as warp filling, harness breaks, or mechanical defects. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with co-workers to obtain information about orders, processes, or problems. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Operate machines for test runs to verify adjustments and to obtain product samples. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record information about work completed and machine settings. | Not published |
| Not much | Repair or replace worn or defective needles and other components, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean, oil, and lubricate machines, using air hoses, cleaning solutions, rags, oil cans, or grease guns. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up, or set up and operate textile machines that perform textile processing and manufacturing operations such as winding, twisting, knitting, weaving, bonding, or stretching. | Not published |
| AI + software | Study guides, loom patterns, samples, charts, or specification sheets, or confer with supervisors or engineering staff to determine setup requirements. | Not published |
| Not much | Adjust machine heating mechanisms, tensions, and speeds to produce specified products. | Not published |
| Not much | Install, level, and align machine components such as gears, chains, guides, dies, cutters, or needles to set up machinery for operation. | Not published |
| AI + software | Program electronic equipment. | 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 19 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 19 tasks fall under 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Program computer systems or production equipment | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance |
Show all 16 activities
| Set up equipment | |||
| Test performance of equipment or systems | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Repair tools or equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An email or message37%
- An analysis or summary20%
- An explanation or answer13%
- Configuration or infrastructure3%
- A document or report3%
How they worked with Claude
90% 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 knitting and weaving machine setters, 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 in from
of 232 moves in
- 1 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 9%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 8%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 8%
- 4 Home Health Aides 7%
- 5 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Moderate +2.5% 5%
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
- 5% less than high school
- 95% high school
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 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
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 6 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders” there.
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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