What do they do?

Set up, operate, or tend machines that knit, loop, weave, or draw in textiles.

Also known as:

Knitter, Knitter Operator, Knitting Machine Operator, Loom Fixer, Machine Operator, Operator, Textile Weaver, Tufting Machine Operator, Tufting Operator, Warp Knit Operator, Weaver, Winder Operator

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders is projected to Decline 8 percent from 2020 to 2030

Projected Employment in OH

No Data Available
  • -8.3%

    Change

    Ranks #22 in job growth rate
    10

    Job Openings

    Ranks #26 in net job growth

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (<1%)
  • Master's degree  (3%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (6%)
  • Associate's degree  (5%)
  • Some college, no degree  (13%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (42%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (30%)

People in this career often have these skills:

  • Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Inspect textile products.
  • Feed materials or products into or through equipment.
  • Cut fabrics.
  • Inspect production equipment.
  • Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
  • Program equipment to perform production tasks.
  • Operate textile cutting or production equipment.
  • Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.
  • Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications.
  • Install mechanical components in production equipment.
  • Record operational or production data.
  • Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements.
  • Exchange information with colleagues.
  • Replace worn equipment components.
  • Repair production equipment or tools.
  • Clean production equipment.
  • Lubricate production equipment.
  • Conduct test runs of production equipment.
  • Clean materials to prepare them for production.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.1 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

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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