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Plant and machine operators, and assemblers · code 8159

Textile, fur and leather products machine operators not elsewhere classified

The machines make the braid. People keep the machines making it properly.

AI barely touches any of the five tasks, including running machines that measure leather, make hats and braids and fold cloth.

What they actually do (and what else they get called)

This unit group covers textile, fur and leather products machine operators not classified elsewhere in Minor Group 815: Textile, Fur and Leather Products Machine Operators. For instance, the group includes those engaged in operating and monitoring machines which make hats, tents, mattresses or miscellaneous articles such as braids or other trimmings. In such cases tasks would include - (a) operating and monitoring machines which form and make hats out of textiles, fur or leather; (b) operating and monitoring machines which make miscellaneous articles such as braids or other trimmings; (c) operating and monitoring machines which fold cloth into measured length; (d) operating and monitoring machines which wind thread, twine or yarn into balls preparatory to shipping or further processing; (e) operating and monitoring machines to measure size of pieces of leather. Examples of the occupations classified here: - Braid making machine operator - Hat making machine operator - Tent making machine operator - Textile patternmaking machine operator

  • textile pattern making machine operator
  • mattress making machine operator
  • braiding textile technician
  • nonwoven staple machine operator
  • nonwoven textile technician
  • braiding machine operator
  • leather measuring operator
  • canvas goods assembler

Job titles from the EU's ESCO list. Search for any of them on the jobs page and you'll end up here.

84 / 100

Strongly holds up against AI

Most of this job still needs an actual human. AI would mostly be making the tea.

Not the odds you keep your job. It's how much of the everyday work still needs a person, out of 100.

← Robot's turf Human's turf →

The ILO's official verdict: Not Exposed

83 of 427 for holding up against AI

Why this score?

The ILO rated each of this job's 5 tasks for how much of it AI could do. They average 15.8 out of 100, so it holds up at 100 − 15.8 = 84.2.

That's the whole sum. No black box, no secret sauce: you can check it against the ILO's study. ILO group “Not Exposed”: None of this job's tasks scored high enough to count.

from the source Working Paper 140, Generative AI and Jobs 2025 index data 0.8-observed-use

Pinch of salt: this number is probably too rosy

It only asks what AI software could do, and this job is hands-on. A chatbot can't do that part. A robot might, one day, and nobody measures how close that is.

Man v Bot · compare

Who holds up better?

Textile, fur and leather products machine operators not elsewhere classified 84

v

Go on, try your partner's job. Or your sibling's. We won't tell.

Man v Bot

Where the bot helps, and where the human wins

Bot

What AI takes

The routine stuff. You may not miss it.

  • Machine settings and pattern programmes.
  • Measuring and quality checks with sensors.
  • Production records.

Man

What people still do better

Judgement, trust and skilled hands. Hard to download.

  • Watching machines and fixing problems.
  • Checking quality by eye.
  • Switching machines between products.

Both

What's arriving

New work that only exists because the AI does.

  • Supervising automated lines.
  • Short-run and custom production.
  • Recycled and new materials.

Written by a human, from the ILO's task ratings below. Yes, we see the irony. Read it as one person's take.

Meet your two rivals

They're not the same machine. AI software can only reach the parts of a job done on a screen or in words. A chatbot can't climb a ladder. A robot might, one day, if it doesn't fall off.

The AI

Lives in a screen. Never had to fix a boiler.

Threat level: Low

24 could do without you

It could take over very little of the work on its own. It could help with 56 of 100.

The robot

The wildcard. Has hands, still working out stairs.

– how hands-on

We don't have a hands-on measure for this job.

The job, task by task

Every job is really a bundle of tasks. Here's this one unpacked, with how much of each AI could do, out of 100. The score is the average, and averages can hide a lot.

AI's favourite task here scores 17, against an average of 16. The bigger the gap, the more lopsided the job: some of it wide open to AI, some of it barely touched.

  1. 17

    Operating and monitoring machines to measure size of pieces of leather.

    Very Low
  2. 17

    Operating and monitoring machines which form and make hats out of textiles, fur or leather

    Very Low
  3. 17

    Operating and monitoring machines which wind thread, twine, or yarn into balls preparatory to shipping or further processing

    Very Low
  4. 16

    Operating and monitoring machines which make miscellaneous articles such as braids or other trimmings

    Very Low
  5. 14

    Operating and monitoring machines which fold cloth into measured length

    Very Low

5 tasks · the High to Very Low labels are the ILO's

from the source Working Paper 140, Generative AI and Jobs 2025 index data 0.8-observed-use

Sidekick or replacement?

A tool that makes you faster is a very different thing from one that does the task while you watch. Jobs and Skills Australia measured the two separately, which is handy.

AI helps you
56
AI does it for you
24

Sidekick wins, by 32 points.

How good a match is this?

One Australian job matches this one closely, so this is about as reliable as it gets here.

estimated Our Gen AI Transition (Gen AI Capacity Study) September 2025 detailed data release data 0.8-observed-use matched to Australian jobs 7117

So, should textile machine operators be worried?

Short answer: not really. Put the kettle on.

Not about AI. Every task rates Very Low: running machines that measure leather, make hats, wind yarn and fold cloth. More automation means more supervising and maintaining rather than hands on every item.

Worth remembering: we score tasks, not jobs. When AI takes on a task, the job usually reshuffles around it rather than vanishing.

Where this job could lead

None of the new jobs we've written up start from here yet. Could be you're the first. See the jobs AI is creating →

How are the neighbours doing?

There are 39 jobs in the “Plant and machine operators, and assemblers” family, averaging 80. This one is above the family average.

Pit this against any other job →