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Spinning, weaving, apparel and fiber product manufacturing workers

How to become a Dyer and Dyeing Machine Operator

Also called: Fabric dyer, Yarn dyer, Dip dyer, Screen printer (textiles), Dyeing craftsperson, Textile printer, Yuzen dyer (traditional kimono dyeing)

Uses dyes, chemicals and machinery to dye and finish yarn and woven or knitted fabric.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say high school or university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualification is required to start. As work becomes digital and mechatronic, it is changing from labour-intensive to knowledge-intensive, and university graduates and others are also joining. Jobs are advertised through schools and Hello Work (public employment service). There is also mid-career recruitment. Many chemicals and machines are used in production, so studying chemistry or mechanical subjects and having that knowledge is an advantage. In dyeing and finishing, material, colour and feel are key, and even with today's advanced computer control, matters of feel and sensitivity cannot be controlled by machine, so experience is needed to make fine adjustments. A related qualification is the dyeing technician grade of the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) set by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, which is valued as proof of skill. As well as deep knowledge of chemistry and materials, you need the skills to control dyeing work programmed by computer. The final adjustments need a human sense of beauty, and knowledge of fashion and textile design is also needed.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Dyer and Dyeing Machine Operator?

No particular education or qualification is required to start. As work becomes digital and mechatronic, it is changing from labour-intensive to knowledge-intensive, and university graduates and others are also joining. Jobs are advertised through schools and Hello Work (public employment service). There is also mid-career recruitment. Many chemicals and machines are used in production, so studying chemistry or mechanical subjects and having that knowledge is an advantage. In dyeing and finishing, material, colour and feel are key, and even with today's advanced computer control, matters of feel and sensitivity cannot be controlled by machine, so experience is needed to make fine adjustments. A related qualification is the dyeing technician grade of the ginou kentei (national trade skills test) set by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, which is valued as proof of skill. As well as deep knowledge of chemistry and materials, you need the skills to control dyeing work programmed by computer. The final adjustments need a human sense of beauty, and knowledge of fashion and textile design is also needed.

How much does a Dyer and Dyeing Machine Operator earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥3,193,800 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Spinning, weaving, apparel and fiber product manufacturing workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Dyer and Dyeing Machine Operator?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 9% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: National trade skills test (技能検定).

Will AI change the work of a Dyer and Dyeing Machine Operator?

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

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026