How to become a Shoe Machine Operator or Tender

Official title: Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders

Also called: Boot Maker, Cobbler, Inseamer, Insole Department Worker, Shoe Cementer, Shoe Maker, Side Laster, Stitcher, Toe Trimmer

Operate or tend a variety of machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.

Main tasks

• Inspect finished products to ensure that shoes have been completed according to specifications.
• Align parts to be stitched, following seams, edges, or markings, before positioning them under needles.
• Operate or tend machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
• Remove and examine shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels.
• Switch on machines, lower pressure feet or rollers to secure parts, and start machine stitching, using hand, foot, or knee controls.
• Draw thread through machine guide slots, needles, and presser feet in preparation for stitching, or load rolls of wire through machine axles.
• Study work orders or shoe part tags to obtain information about workloads, specifications, and the types of materials to be used.
• Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $35,650 a year The middle half earn $29,090 to $43,090.
• About 4,600 people work in this job now, and about 4,200 are projected by 2035. (-6.9%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers
• Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
• Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
• Sewing Machine Operators
• Sewers, Hand
• Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers

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Questions people ask

How much does a Shoe Machine Operator or Tender earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $35,650 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $29,090 to $43,090.

Is a Shoe Machine Operator or Tender a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 7% by 2035, from about 4,600 to about 4,200 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Shoe Machine Operator or Tender?

Usually not. Only 15% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Shoe Machine Operator or Tender?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 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.