Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

Lowest scored
Moderate Risk
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Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
2.0/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

57% (Moderate Risk)

Moderate Risk (41-60%): This occupation may be meaningfully affected by automation. Some parts of the role may be suitable for AI, software, or robotics, while others still rely on human skill, judgement, trust, or real-world context. People in this range may benefit from building skills that complement automation and reduce replacement risk.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Thinking creatively

Quite important
Why this matters
Coming up with original ideas and designs—creating new concepts, products, systems, or artistic work. This kind of open-ended invention and taste-based judgment is harder to automate end-to-end than routine, rule-based tasks.
Jobs that also use this strength

Working directly with the public

Quite important
Why this matters
The job involves face-to-face interaction with customers, clients, or guests—answering questions, handling requests, and managing service situations in real time. Roles with frequent public interaction are harder to replace end-to-end because they rely on trust, communication, and adapting to unpredictable human needs.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Quite important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 130 votes

50% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted they are unsure if this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 57% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

Based on user votes over time

View sentiment trend

How opinions have changed over time

Pay & outlook

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers was $40,860 ($20 per hour).

The median annual wage for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers was 17.5% lower than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers' job openings is expected to decline 4.5% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Lower range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 16,290 people employed as 'Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers' within the United States.

This represents around < 0.001% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 9 thousand people are employed as 'Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers'.

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What people are saying (8)

Leave a comment
Lewis
10 Feb 2026 08:30
I feel like a lot of people commenting or rating don't actually understand what tailors and dressmakers actually do. Have any of them seen what goes into a canvassed suit — the basting, fitting, ironwork and delicate finishes? Or the kind of alterations and finishes necessary to produce a well-fitting evening dress with features like boning? I can't imagine anyone seeing how this work is done and concluding, Well, a robot could EASILY do that!
pam (Low)
04 Feb 2026 03:41
It takes humans years to master alterations, not sewing a new garment, I mean altering the fit on an already made garment, on all kinds of fabrics and constructions. not to mention mastering how to adjust sewing machines to handle all the different fabrics being sewn. Who's going to program a robot to handle all the complexities that it took me years to learn and that I'm still learning every day? And if a robot takes all our jobs, what will we do to make money to be able to pay the bills and make a living? Will everything be free? I don't understand where all this is going.
Pat (Low)
12 Sep 2025 01:23
Dexterity, evaluating and deciding what needs to be done and how to do it on a human body, measuring human body and making clothes fit, communication
JD
16 Aug 2025 13:37
At present or in the near future, there is no way AI can replicate the knowledge, dexterity and physical ability to manipulate fabric like a human using a sewing machine. This is an under appreciated high level skill which will take a very long time, if ever for a robot(AI) to achieve.
sum (Low)
17 Apr 2025 04:12
requires analyzation of a person, knowing their exact measurements and how to measure them. It also requires dexterity and multiple fittings, as well as a vast knowledge of how things look on humans and personal taste.
Lyn hissey (Low)
07 Feb 2024 23:52
Although AI could complete tasks such as design and cutting the actual job of sewing a garment is complicated and difficult, the most they could do would be straight seams that require no adjustments or manipulation, I’ve been sewing for 35 years it is a lot more complicated than most realise
sorrin (Uncertain)
06 Jan 2022 16:26
This career takes a lot of dexterity and situational awareness that would be hard to replace by an AI
Jo L (Highly likely)
19 May 2021 00:09
With the advent of AI, many fashion and clothing sales companies are looking forward to a system of cameras, algorithmic processing, and automated machines to do the same work that tailors, seamstresses, and garment alternators could previously do.
Leave a reply about this occupation
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Job description

Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.

O*NET-SOC code: 51-6052.00