Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders
Production Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 51-6042.00
Operate or tend a variety of machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.16
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only19 rated tasks · 1 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (5.3%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- 1 rated task is not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; its score is kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Study work orders or shoe part tags to obtain information about workloads, specifications, and the types of materials to be used.O*NET Task ID 14089 | 1.0 |
Remove and examine shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels.O*NET Task ID 14090 | 0.0 |
Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles.O*NET Task ID 14091 | 0.0 |
Cut excess thread or material from shoe parts, using scissors or knives.O*NET Task ID 14092 | 0.0 |
Turn screws to regulate size of staples.O*NET Task ID 14093 | 0.0 |
Align parts to be stitched, following seams, edges, or markings, before positioning them under needles.O*NET Task ID 14094 | 0.0 |
Turn setscrews on needle bars, and position required numbers of needles in stitching machines.O*NET Task ID 14095 | 0.0 |
Switch on machines, lower pressure feet or rollers to secure parts, and start machine stitching, using hand, foot, or knee controls.O*NET Task ID 14096 | 0.0 |
Collect shoe parts from conveyer belts or racks and place them in machinery such as ovens or on molds for dressing, returning them to conveyers or racks to send them to the next work station.O*NET Task ID 14097 | 0.0 |
Position dies on material in a manner that will obtain the maximum number of parts from each portion of material.O*NET Task ID 14098 | 0.0 |
Test machinery to ensure proper functioning before beginning production.O*NET Task ID 14099 | 0.0 |
Operate or tend machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.O*NET Task ID 14100 | 0.0 |
Draw thread through machine guide slots, needles, and presser feet in preparation for stitching, or load rolls of wire through machine axles.O*NET Task ID 14101 | 0.0 |
Fill shuttle spools with thread from a machine's bobbin winder by pressing a foot treadle.O*NET Task ID 14102 | 0.0 |
Load hot-melt plastic rod glue through reactivator axles, using wrenches, and switch on reactivators, setting temperature and timers to heat glue to specifications.O*NET Task ID 14103 | 0.0 |
Staple sides of shoes, pressing a foot treadle to position and hold each shoe under the feeder of the machine.O*NET Task ID 14104 | 0.0 |
Select and place spools of thread or pre-wound bobbins into shuttles, or onto spindles or loupers of stitching machines.O*NET Task ID 14105 | 0.0 |
Hammer loose staples for proper attachment.O*NET Task ID 14106 | 0.0 |
Turn knobs to adjust stitch length and thread tension.O*NET Task ID 14107 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (19)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Study work orders or shoe part tags to obtain information about workloads, specifications, and the types of materials to be used. | Core |
| Remove and examine shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels. | Core |
| Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles. | Core |
| Cut excess thread or material from shoe parts, using scissors or knives. | Core |
| Align parts to be stitched, following seams, edges, or markings, before positioning them under needles. | Core |
| Switch on machines, lower pressure feet or rollers to secure parts, and start machine stitching, using hand, foot, or knee controls. | Core |
| Test machinery to ensure proper functioning before beginning production. | Core |
| Operate or tend machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts. | Core |
| Draw thread through machine guide slots, needles, and presser feet in preparation for stitching, or load rolls of wire through machine axles. | Core |
| Select and place spools of thread or pre-wound bobbins into shuttles, or onto spindles or loupers of stitching machines. | Core |
| Turn knobs to adjust stitch length and thread tension. | Core |
| Inspect finished products to ensure that shoes have been completed according to specifications. | Core |
| Turn screws to regulate size of staples. | Supplemental |
| Turn setscrews on needle bars, and position required numbers of needles in stitching machines. | Supplemental |
| Collect shoe parts from conveyer belts or racks and place them in machinery such as ovens or on molds for dressing, returning them to conveyers or racks to send them to the next work station. | Supplemental |
| Position dies on material in a manner that will obtain the maximum number of parts from each portion of material. | Supplemental |
| Fill shuttle spools with thread from a machine's bobbin winder by pressing a foot treadle. | Supplemental |
| Staple sides of shoes, pressing a foot treadle to position and hold each shoe under the feeder of the machine. | Supplemental |
| Hammer loose staples for proper attachment. | Supplemental |
1.05/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Remove and examine shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Cut excess thread or material from shoe parts, using scissors or knives. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Align parts to be stitched, following seams, edges, or markings, before positioning them under needles. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Switch on machines, lower pressure feet or rollers to secure parts, and start machine stitching, using hand, foot, or knee controls. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Test machinery to ensure proper functioning before beginning production. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Operate or tend machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Draw thread through machine guide slots, needles, and presser feet in preparation for stitching, or load rolls of wire through machine axles. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Select and place spools of thread or pre-wound bobbins into shuttles, or onto spindles or loupers of stitching machines. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Turn knobs to adjust stitch length and thread tension. | E2 structured facilities |
| Inspect finished products to ensure that shoes have been completed according to specifications. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Turn screws to regulate size of staples. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Turn setscrews on needle bars, and position required numbers of needles in stitching machines. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Collect shoe parts from conveyer belts or racks and place them in machinery such as ovens or on molds for dressing, returning them to conveyers or racks to send them to the next work station. | E2 structured facilities |
| Position dies on material in a manner that will obtain the maximum number of parts from each portion of material. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Fill shuttle spools with thread from a machine's bobbin winder by pressing a foot treadle. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Staple sides of shoes, pressing a foot treadle to position and hold each shoe under the feeder of the machine. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Hammer loose staples for proper attachment. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 5K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 4K
- Change (2025–35)
- -6.9%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $35,650
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 82220 | 신발 제조기 조작원 | Same scope | confirmed |
| 72133 | 신발 재봉사 | Overlapping, not the same | confirmed |
| 72122 | 신발 및 구두 재단사 | Related, not a match | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 8156Shoemaking and Related Machine Operators
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- footwear production machine operatorESCO 8156.2This occupation is broader
Footwear production machine operators tend specific machines in the industrial production of footwear. They operate machinery for lasting, cutting, closing, and finishing footwear products. They also perform routine maintenance of the machinery.
- footwear stitching machine operatorESCO 8156.2.3This occupation is broader
Footwear stitching machine operators join the cut pieces of leather and other materials to produce the uppers. They use several tools and a wide range of machines such as flat bed, arm and one or two columns. They select threads and needles for the stitching machines, place pieces in the working area, and operate with the machine guiding parts under the needle. They follow seams, edges, markings or moving edges of parts against the guide. Finally, they cut excess thread or material from shoe parts using scissors or dyes.
- lasting machine operatorESCO 8156.2.4This occupation is broader
Lasting machine operators pull the forepart, the waist and the seat of the upper over the last using specific machines with the aim of obtaining the final shape of the footwear model. They start by placing the toe in the machine, stretching the edges of the upper over the last, and pressing the seat. They then flatten the wiped edges and cut excess box toe and lining, and use stitching or cementing to fix the shape.
- pre-stitching machine operatorESCO 8156.4This occupation is broader
Pre-stitching machine operators handle tools and equipment for splitting, skiving, folding, punching, crimping, placking, and marking the uppers to be stitched and, when needed, apply reinforcement strips in various pieces. They may also glue the pieces together before stitching them. Pre-stitching machine operators perform these tasks according to the instructions of the technical sheet.
- sole and heel operatorESCO 8156.2.6This occupation is broader
Sole and heel operators attach soles or heels to the footwear by stitching, cementing or nailing. They may work with several machines, for example for slipping the lasts, or for roughing, dusting or attaching heels. They also operate various machines both for stitched or cemented constructions.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| H2401 | Opérateur / Opératrice de fabrication industrie des cuirs, peaux et matériaux associés | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| H2414 | Opérateur / Opératrice de préparation ou de finition sur articles de cuirs, peaux ou matériaux associés | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 8156 | Operadores de máquinas para la fabricación del calzado, marroquinería y guantería de piel | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 28332 | Berufe in der Schuhherstellung - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | This occupation is narrower |
| 28301 | Berufe in der Leder-, Pelzherstellung und -verarbeitung (ohne Spezialisierung) - Helfer-/Anlerntätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 539 | その他の製品製造・加工処理従事者（金属製品を除く） | This occupation is narrower |
| 509 | その他の生産設備制御・監視従事者（金属製品を除く） | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources