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Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers vs Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers and Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$67,670
$45,690
Employment · BLS OEWS
2,860
34,750
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
26th pct
28th pct

At a glance

Dimension Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
Median pay $67,670 $45,690
Employment 2,860 34,750
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection Declining (-10.2%) About average (+6.2%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 300 5,500
Typical education · O*NET Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 26th pct Low · 28th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 21st pct · 17% of tasks 29th pct · 18% of tasks
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — —
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman Yes No

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Visualization, Near Vision, English Language, Production and Processing, Critical Thinking, Information Ordering, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Finger Dexterity, Active Listening, Oral Comprehension, Category Flexibility, Problem Sensitivity, Inductive Reasoning, Perceptual Speed, Selective Attention, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Manual Dexterity, Far Vision, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Writing.

Specific to Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers

  • Design
  • Mathematics
  • Originality
  • Mathematical Reasoning
  • Number Facility
  • Education and Training
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Time Management

Specific to Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic

  • Control Precision
  • Multilimb Coordination
  • Mechanical
  • Operation and Control
  • Extent Flexibility
  • Administration and Management
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Rate Control

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Computer aided design CAD software , Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software , Word processing software .

Specific to Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers

Specific to Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers or Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers vs Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/fabric-and-apparel-patternmakers-vs-molders-shapers-and-casters-except-metal-and-plastic

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers vs Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/fabric-and-apparel-patternmakers-vs-molders-shapers-and-casters-except-metal-and-plastic

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-fabric-and-apparel-patternmakers-vs-molders-shapers-and-casters-except-metal-and-plastic,
  title  = {Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers vs Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/fabric-and-apparel-patternmakers-vs-molders-shapers-and-casters-except-metal-and-plastic}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.