Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
What Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers Do
Design, make, alter, repair, or fit garments.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 57.4%
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.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.0/5
- English Languageimportance 3.6/5
- Production and Processingimportance 3.3/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.2/5
- Economics and Accountingimportance 3.2/5
- Designimportance 3.0/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
- Sales and Marketingimportance 2.8/5
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 Controls4.8/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.5/5
- Time Pressure4.5/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.4/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.4/5
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results4.1/5
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.
- Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film92% skill match
- Upholsterers91% skill match
- Nurse Anesthetists90% skill match
- Respiratory Therapists90% skill match
- Barbers89% skill match
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographers89% skill match
- Embalmers89% skill match
- Food Batchmakers88% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.8/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.6/5
- Service Orientationimportance 2.6/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.6/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 2.5/5
- Operations Analysisimportance 2.4/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Other Software Used
- ArbelSoft TailorMax
- Bookkeeping software
- Garment design software
- Inventory tracking software
- Tailor Master
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Perseverance
- Innovation
- Achievement Orientation
- Self-Confidence
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ArtisticMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- EnterprisingLow
- SocialLow
- InvestigativeLow
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 tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1El Paso, TX9.17× national avg
- 2Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT3.44× national avg
- 3Asheville, NC3.23× national avg
- 4Lancaster, PA2.65× national avg
- 5Jackson, MS2.58× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Shoe and Leather Workers and RepairersLateral Move
- UpholsterersLateral Move
- Tile and Stone SettersCareer Change
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard TilesCareer Change
See the full career path from Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers →