Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders
What Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders Do
Operate or tend a variety of machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 19%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Production and Processingimportance 3.3/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.7/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.5/5
- Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 2.4/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.4/5
- Engineering and Technologyimportance 2.4/5
- Administrativeimportance 2.3/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls5.0/5
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions4.8/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4/5
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets4.4/5
- Contact With Others4.2/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.2/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand95% skill match
- Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders95% skill match
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders95% skill match
- Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders95% skill match
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners94% skill match
- Gas Plant Operators94% skill match
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders94% skill match
- Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic93% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.0/5
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.0/5
- Equipment Maintenanceimportance 2.9/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 2.9/5
- Troubleshootingimportance 2.8/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.8/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.6/5
- Repairingimportance 2.6/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Inventory tracking software
- Production control software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Perseverance
- Achievement Orientation
- Integrity
- Stress Tolerance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- ArtisticLow
- EnterprisingLow
- SocialLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where shoe machine operators and tenders make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1El Paso, TX23.82× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, HandLateral Move
- Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and TendersLateral Move
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticLateral Move
- Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodLateral Move
See the full career path from Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.