Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers and Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers 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.”
At a glance
| Dimension | Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers | Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $40,860 | $67,670 |
| Employment | 16,290 | 2,860 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | Declining (-4.5%) | Declining (-10.2%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 5,000 | 300 |
| Typical education · O*NET | Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. | Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. |
| AI exposure · published exposure studies | Low · 10th pct | Low · 26th pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | 17th pct · 15% of tasks | 21st pct · 17% of tasks |
| Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index | Augmentation-leaning (58.0%) | — |
| Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman | No | Yes |
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, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Finger Dexterity, Near Vision, Oral Comprehension, English Language, Production and Processing, Time Management, Manual Dexterity, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Oral Expression, Originality, Information Ordering, Category Flexibility, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Design, Mathematics, Written Comprehension, Fluency of Ideas, Problem Sensitivity, Selective Attention, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making, Written Expression, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning.
Specific to Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
- Customer and Personal Service
- Control Precision
- Administration and Management
- Economics and Accounting
- Social Perceptiveness
- Multilimb Coordination
- Visual Color Discrimination
- Sales and Marketing
Specific to Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers
- Deductive Reasoning
- Mathematical Reasoning
- Number Facility
- Education and Training
- Inductive Reasoning
- Perceptual Speed
- Quality Control Analysis
- Flexibility of Closure
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: Word processing software , Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Computer aided design CAD software .
Specific to Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
Specific to Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers or Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers — 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.
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Sewers, Hand
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Sewing Machine Operators
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Upholsterers
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Fashion Designers
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.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers." 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/tailors-dressmakers-and-custom-sewers-vs-fabric-and-apparel-patternmakers
Singulariki. (2026). Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/tailors-dressmakers-and-custom-sewers-vs-fabric-and-apparel-patternmakers
@misc{singulariki-tailors-dressmakers-and-custom-sewers-vs-fabric-and-apparel-patternmakers,
title = {Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers vs Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers},
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/tailors-dressmakers-and-custom-sewers-vs-fabric-and-apparel-patternmakers}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.