Textile, fur and leather products machine operators

How to become a sewing machine operator

Official title: Sewing machine operators

Also called: Embroidery machine operator, Sewing machine operator

Sewing machine operators monitor and operate sewing machines to make, repair, darn and renovate textile, fur, synthetic or leather garments, or embroider ornamental designs on garments or other materials. They operate buttonhole making and eyelet holing machines to cut holes, stitch around holes, stitch buttons and fix eyelets to garments.

Main tasks

Operating or tending sewing machines to perform garment sewing operations such as joining, reinforcing, seaming or decorating garments or garment parts
Attaching buttons, hooks, zippers, fasteners or other accessories to fabric, using feeding hoppers or clamp holders
Tending semiautomatic sewing machines with multiple-sewing heads controlled by pattern chains that embroider various designs on garments
Operating machines such as single or double needle sergers and flat-bed felling machines to automatically join, reinforce or decorate material or articles
Operating fur sewing machines to join fur pelt strips to required size and shape and join pelts into garment sections or shells
Operating stitching machines to sew leather parts together for leather garments, handbags, gloves or similar items
Monitoring machine operations to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread or machine malfunctions
Performing equipment maintenance tasks such as replacing needles

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: HK$20,000 a month
About 387,500 people in 2025, and about 403,200 projected by 2028. (+4.1%)
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become a sewing machine operator?

Usually not. Only 10% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a sewing machine operator?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026