Human edge, steady

Sewers, hand

Sew, join, reinforce, or finish, usually with needle and thread, a variety of manufactured items. Includes weavers and stitchers.

AI Resistance Index 46 of 99

In the middle of the pack: more resilient than 46% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it low), and US jobs are projected to change by -12.0% 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): $36,480
Job growth to 2035: -12.0%
Openings a year: 600
People doing it (2025): 5,300
Usual route in: No formal credential, then moderate on-the-job training

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Where people already use AI for this work

Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment
Design materials or devices

From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).

Work AI rarely helps with

Cut materials
Sew garments or materials
Position materials or components for assembly

What the work looks like

Fit garments on clients, altering as needed.
Select thread, twine, cord, or yarn to be used, and thread needles.
Measure and align parts, fasteners, or trimmings, following seams, edges, or markings on parts.
Trim excess threads or edges of parts, using scissors or knives.
Smooth seams with heated irons, flat bones, or rubbing sticks.

From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.

What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects

Fewer of these jobs, as companies deploy automated machinery to sew garments instead of human sewers.
Fewer of these jobs, as companies deploy automation machinery to sew garments instead of human sewers.

Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook

Fiberglass laminators and fabricatorsHuman edge, growing, Index 86, +4.6%
Painting, coating, and decorating workersHuman edge, steady, Index 55, +1.3%
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazersHuman edge, steady, Index 67, +2.4%
Structural metal fabricators and fittersHuman edge, steady, Index 54, -6.2%

Also known as: Alteration Specialist, Couturier, Custom Clothier, Seamstress, Custom Designer, Custom Seamstress, Stitcher.

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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.