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Manufacturing & Production · Updated Aug 2026

Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials

Press or shape articles by hand or machine.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
AI Exposure
62/100
High

How much of this occupation’s work can be materially affected by current AI systems.

Replacement Risk
55/100
Moderate

How likely exposure is to translate into reduced human demand.

Includes provisional estimates for AI adoption pressure and labour-market resilience. How this is measured

Evidence quality
Confidence82/100
Task coverage86%

Confidence reflects task coverage, mapping and capability-evidence quality, and how much of the score rests on provisional inputs.

Task-level evidence

What is driving the score?

Occupation scores are built from the task mix—not a single prediction about a job title.

JVS 2.0.0-phase4b
TaskImportanceAI impactExposure
Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing.High
81
Push and pull irons over surfaces of articles to smooth or shape them.High
81
Lower irons, rams, or pressing heads of machines into position over material to be pressed.High
78
Slide material back and forth over heated, metal, ball-shaped forms to smooth and press portions of garments that cannot be satisfactorily pressed with flat pressers or hand irons.High
80
Select appropriate pressing machines, based on garment properties such as heat tolerance.High
78
Finish pleated garments, determining sizes of pleats from evidence of old pleats or from work orders, using machine presses or hand irons.High
78
Spray water over fabric to soften fibers when not using steam irons.High
81
Finish fancy garments such as evening gowns and costumes, using hand irons to produce high quality finishes.High
79
Position materials such as cloth garments, felt, or straw on tables, dies, or feeding mechanisms of pressing machines, or on ironing boards or work tables.High
77
Shrink, stretch, or block articles by hand to conform to original measurements, using forms, blocks, and steam.High
79
Hang, fold, package, and tag finished articles for delivery to customers.High
62
Insert heated metal forms into ties and touch up rough places with hand irons.High
81
Finish velvet garments by steaming them on bucks of hot-head presses or steam tables, and brushing pile (nap) with handbrushes.High
80
Activate and adjust machine controls to regulate temperature and pressure of rollers, ironing shoes, or plates, according to specifications.High
78
Use covering cloths to prevent equipment from damaging delicate fabrics.High
78
Sew ends of new material to leaders or to ends of material in pressing machines, using sewing machines.Medium
78
Examine and measure finished articles to verify conformance to standards, using measuring devices such as tape measures and micrometers.High
39
Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch articles.High
26
Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing.High
26
Finish pants, jackets, shirts, skirts and other dry-cleaned and laundered articles, using hand irons.High
21
Measure fabric to specifications, cut uneven edges with shears, fold material, and press it with an iron to form a heading.High
25
Clean and maintain pressing machines, using cleaning solutions and lubricants.High
27
Select, install, and adjust machine components, including pressing forms, rollers, and guides, using hoists and hand tools.Medium
26
Brush materials made of suede, leather, or felt to remove spots or to raise and smooth naps.High
20
Most exposed

Where AI can do more

Routine, digitized, and highly repeatable tasks face the greatest pressure.

  1. Straighten, smooth, or shape materials to prepare them for pressing.81
  2. Push and pull irons over surfaces of articles to smooth or shape them.81
  3. Spray water over fabric to soften fibers when not using steam irons.81
  4. Insert heated metal forms into ties and touch up rough places with hand irons.81
Hardest to automate

Where people still matter

These tasks score lowest on automation feasibility—physical presence, judgement, accountability and real-world variability all resist end-to-end automation.

  1. Brush materials made of suede, leather, or felt to remove spots or to raise and smooth naps.01
  2. Finish pants, jackets, shirts, skirts and other dry-cleaned and laundered articles, using hand irons.02
  3. Measure fabric to specifications, cut uneven edges with shears, fold material, and press it with an iron to form a heading.03
  4. Operate steam, hydraulic, or other pressing machines to remove wrinkles from garments and flatwork items, or to shape, form, or patch articles.04
  5. Remove finished pieces from pressing machines and hang or stack them for cooling, or forward them for additional processing.05
Where else this work leads

Related occupations

Occupations O*NET links to this one. Relatedness reflects shared work, not a claim that these roles are safer.

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Beyond AI capability

Adoption and labour-market outlook

Structural factors are kept separate from raw capability so you can see what actually resists automation. Adoption pressure and labour-market resilience are still provisional models—25% of this occupation’s replacement-risk weight rests on them.

Human dependency52
Physical dependency58
Adoption pressure34
Labour-market resilience48
Methodology & sources

O*NET 30.3 occupational data interpreted through the JobsVsAI capability, automation and structural-constraint models.

Confidence82/100
CalculatedAug 21, 2026
Read methodology →