Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
Production · SOC 51-6052
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 51-6052 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 3.4%
- Medium · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 57/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $41,640
- H-1B offered wage $50,544; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- 4,200
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -4.5%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 1
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 4,433 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
Best transitions from here
Explore all pathways→Lower AI-exposure roles that reuse your skills, ranked by a transition score (skills that transfer, safety gain, pay and retraining effort).
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.
Common titles: Alterations Expert, Alterations Sewer, Bridal Designer, Clothing Pattern Designer, Custom Dressmaker, Custom Sewer
Representative Tasks
- •Measure parts, such as sleeves or pant legs, and mark or pin-fold alteration lines.
- •Remove stitches from garments to be altered, using rippers or razor blades.
- •Sew garments, using needles and thread or sewing machines.
- •Let out or take in seams in suits and other garments to improve fit.
- •Measure customers, using tape measures, and record measurements.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Repair textiles or apparel.
- •Measure materials to mark reference points, cutting lines, or other indicators.
- •Sew clothing or other articles.
- •Operate sewing equipment.
- •Measure clients to ensure proper product fit.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 3.4% | 0.7% |
| Outlook | Average | 4% Bright |
| Median Salary | $41,640 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 97/100 | N/A |