Sewing, Embroidery and Related Workers

← The GenAI exposure gradient

On the International Labour Organization's 2025 global study, the 12 task statements that define Sewing, Embroidery and Related Workers (ISCO-08 7533) score an average of 0.12 on a 0–1 exposure scale — more exposed than about 8% of the 427 placed occupations. Roughly 0% of its tasks fall somewhere on the exposed part of the gradient, and the typical task lands in the Not exposed band.

Exposure is task overlap, not a verdict. A high score means a generative-AI model can do part of the content of these tasks — it says nothing about whether the work is automated, whether anyone uses AI for it today, or whether jobs are lost. The gradient is scored on the international ISCO-08 system; the rest of Singulariki is U.S. O*NET/SOC, bridged below by an approximate, many-to-many crosswalk.

How its tasks split across the gradient

Each of the 12 scored tasks for this occupation, sorted into the six exposure bands — cool (human ground) to hot (almost fully assistable).

The most-exposed task

“Embroidering ornamental designs on cloth by hand or machine using needle and coloured threads;”

Scores 0.14 on the 2025 scale. The task of embroidering ornamental designs on cloth by hand or machine is predominantly a manual, craft-based activity requiring precision, dexterity, and an artistic touch. This parallels tasks such as "Operating sewing machines or hand sewing" (score: 0.115) and "Finishing haberdashery products, sewing in linings" (score: 0.12), which involve similar manual skills and are rated low on automation potential. Additionally, tasks like "Placing trimming lines" (score: 0.135) and "Checking the correctness of sewing completion" (score: 0.265) further support this categorization. Generative AI can assist in pattern design or optimization but cannot replicate the nuanced human judgment and tactile feedback required for embroidery, even in a technologically advanced context like Poland. Thus, the adjusted score reflects the limited potential for automation, emphasizing the primarily manual and skill-intensive nature of the task.

Moving fastest, 2023 → 2025

“Embroidering ornamental designs on cloth by hand or machine using needle and coloured threads;”

Model capability on this task changed by +0.04 in two years — the gradient is not static, it is filling in.

U.S. occupations this maps to

The American O*NET/SOC roles that crosswalk to ISCO-08 7533, biggest by employment first, via the published (approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 correspondence. These are the closest U.S. matches — not an asserted one-to-one identity.

• Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
• Sewers, Hand

In context

Part of the 7 - Craft and related trades workers major group. Return to the full gradient to see how the whole group sits.

Sewing, Embroidery and Related Workers sit at the 8th percentile of the global GenAI exposure gradient

• Across 427 international occupations scored by the ILO, Sewing, Embroidery and Related Workers rank in the 8th percentile for GenAI task exposure — overlap with what generative AI can attempt, not a projection of displacement. (ILO / Gmyrek et al. (2025) GenAI exposure gradient)
• About 0% of this occupation's tasks fall into an exposed gradient band. (ILO / Gmyrek et al. (2025))
• Mean task exposure fell by 0.00 between the 2023 and 2025 model-capability snapshots. (ILO / Gmyrek et al. (2025), 2023→2025)
• Its most-exposed task: "Embroidering ornamental designs on cloth by hand or machine using needle and coloured threads;". (ILO / Gmyrek et al. (2025))

Source: Singulariki — "Sewing, Embroidery and Related Workers". https://singulariki.com/gradient/7533-sewing-embroidery-and-related-workers.html
Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.