Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Production Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 51-6062.00
Set up, operate, or tend machines that cut textiles.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Moderate· 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
0.015
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
0.17
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
Show 16 hidden tasks18 rated tasks · 4 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (22.2%)
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
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
| Task (O*NET 30.2) | Claude.aiRaw / share % | APIRaw / share % |
|---|---|---|
Confer with coworkers to obtain information about orders, processes, or problems.51-6062.00 | 0.00000.0 | 0.010050.0 |
Inspect products to ensure that the quality standards and specifications are met. | —0 | 0.010050.0 |
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. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Record information about work completed and machine settings.O*NET Task ID 14155 | 1.0 |
Program electronic equipment.O*NET Task ID 14161 | 1.0 |
Study guides, samples, charts, and specification sheets or confer with supervisors or engineering staff to determine set-up requirements.O*NET Task ID 14157 | 0.5 |
Inspect products to ensure that the quality standards and specifications are met.O*NET Task ID 21156 | 0.5 |
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®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (18)
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 |
|---|---|
| Place patterns on top of layers of fabric and cut fabric following patterns, using electric or manual knives, cutters, or computer numerically controlled cutting devices. | Core |
| Notify supervisors of mechanical malfunctions. | Core |
| Repair or replace worn or defective parts or components, using hand tools. | Core |
| Inspect machinery to determine whether repairs are needed. | Core |
| Adjust machine controls, such as heating mechanisms, tensions, or speeds, to produce specified products. | Core |
| Confer with coworkers to obtain information about orders, processes, or problems. | Core |
| Start machines, monitor operations, and make adjustments as needed. | Core |
| Clean, oil, and lubricate machines, using air hoses, cleaning solutions, rags, oilcans, and grease guns. | Core |
| Record information about work completed and machine settings. | Core |
| Inspect products to ensure that the quality standards and specifications are met. | Core |
| Adjust cutting techniques to types of fabrics and styles of garments. | Supplemental |
| Operate machines to cut multiple layers of fabric into parts for articles such as canvas goods, house furnishings, garments, hats, or stuffed toys. | Supplemental |
| Study guides, samples, charts, and specification sheets or confer with supervisors or engineering staff to determine set-up requirements. | Supplemental |
| Operate machines for test runs to verify adjustments and to obtain product samples. | Supplemental |
| Stop machines when specified amounts of product have been produced. | Supplemental |
| Install, level, and align components, such as gears, chains, guides, dies, cutters, or needles, to set up machinery for operation. | Supplemental |
| Program electronic equipment. | Supplemental |
| Thread yarn, thread, or fabric through guides, needles, and rollers of machines. | Supplemental |
1.09/ 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 |
|---|---|
| Place patterns on top of layers of fabric and cut fabric following patterns, using electric or manual knives, cutters, or computer numerically controlled cutting devices. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Repair or replace worn or defective parts or components, using hand tools. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Inspect machinery to determine whether repairs are needed. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Adjust machine controls, such as heating mechanisms, tensions, or speeds, to produce specified products. | E2 structured facilities |
| Start machines, monitor operations, and make adjustments as needed. | E2 structured facilities |
| Clean, oil, and lubricate machines, using air hoses, cleaning solutions, rags, oilcans, and grease guns. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Inspect products to ensure that the quality standards and specifications are met. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Adjust cutting techniques to types of fabrics and styles of garments. | E2 structured facilities |
| Operate machines to cut multiple layers of fabric into parts for articles such as canvas goods, house furnishings, garments, hats, or stuffed toys. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Operate machines for test runs to verify adjustments and to obtain product samples. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Stop machines when specified amounts of product have been produced. | E2 structured facilities |
| Install, level, and align components, such as gears, chains, guides, dies, cutters, or needles, to set up machinery for operation. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Thread yarn, thread, or fabric through guides, needles, and rollers of machines. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 9K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 8K
- Change (2025–35)
- -13.6%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $38,760
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 82292 | 자동 재단기 조작원 | Same scope | confirmed |
| 72121 | 의복 재단사 | Overlapping, not the same | confirmed |
| 72129 | 그 외 재단사 | Overlapping, not the same | reviewed |
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 7532Garment and Related Patternmakers and Cutters
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.
- cutting machine operatorESCO 8156.2.1Same scope
Cutting machine operators check leather, textiles, synthetic materials, dyes and footwear. They select areas of materials to be cut in terms of quality and stretch direction, take the decision of where and how to cut and programme and execute specific technology or machine. The equipment used for large surfaces of materials is frequently an automatic knife. Cutting machine operators position and handle leather or other materials. They adjust cutting machines, match footwear components and pieces, and check cut pieces against specifications and quality requirements.
- automated cutting machine operatorESCO 8156.1Overlapping, not the same
Automated cutting machine operators send files from the computer to the cutting machine, place the material to be cut, and they digitize and select the fault in the materials surface in order to perform the nesting of the parts, unless the machine makes it automatically. They give the order to the machine to cut, they also collect the cut pieces and does the final quality control analysis against specifications and quality requirements. They also monitor the status of the cutting machine working devices.
- clothing cutterESCO 7532.2Overlapping, not the same
Clothing cutters mark, cut, shape, and trim textile or related materials according to blueprint or specification in the manufacture of wearing apparel.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| H2409 | Coupeur / Coupeuse en industrie textile et matériaux souples | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| H2426 | Chef / Cheffe d'équipe en atelier de coupe | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 7833 | Cortadores de tejidos, cuero, piel y otros materiales | Overlapping, not the same |
| 8159 | Operadores de máquinas para fabricar productos textiles no clasificados bajo otros epígrafes | Related, not a match |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 28221 | Berufe in der Bekleidungs-, Hut- und Mützenherstellung - Helfer-/Anlerntätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
| 28222 | Berufe in der Bekleidungs-, Hut- und Mützenherstellung - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 535 | 紡織・衣服・繊維製品製造従事者 | This occupation is narrower |
| 505 | 紡織・衣服・繊維製品生産設備制御・監視員 | Related, not a match |
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