Human edge, steady

Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials

Press or shape articles by hand or machine.

AI Resistance Index 41 of 99

In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 41% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is very low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by -15.7% by 2035, expected to shrink. The work leans on physical dexterity.

AI struggles with much of this work. Hiring is expected to grow slower than average, or to shrink.

Median pay (2025): $35,060
Job growth to 2035: -15.7%
Openings a year: 2,200
People doing it (2025): 26,300
Usual route in: No formal credential, then short on-the-job training

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Where people already use AI for this work

Set up equipment
Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance

From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).

Work AI rarely helps with

Operate industrial processing or production equipment
Position workpieces or materials on equipment
Prepare industrial materials for processing or use

What the work looks like

Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers.
Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch articles.
Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing.
Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing.
Finish pleated garments, determining sizes of pleats from evidence of old pleats or from work orders, using machine presses or hand irons.

From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.

What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects

Fewer of these jobs, as demand declines due to the acceptance of casual dress in lieu of business attire and the continued use of wrinkle resistant fabrics.

Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook

Pourers and casters, metalHuman edge, steady, Index 48, -5.0%
Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tendersHuman edge, steady, Index 42, -10.3%
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, woodHuman edge, steady, Index 57, -1.0%
Laundry and dry-cleaning workersHuman edge, growing, Index 83, +4.3%

Also known as: Ironing Worker, Pants Presser, Presser, Shirt Presser, Boarder, Dry Cleaner Presser, Garment Presser, Ironing Machine Operator.

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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.