94132 – Industrial sewing machine operators
Lead statement
Industrial sewing machine operators operate sewing machines to sew fabric, fur, leather or synthetic materials to produce or repair garments and other articles.
Main duties
- Assemble pieces of garments by matching patterns and dye lots
- Operate single, double or multi-needle serging, flat bed felling, banding and other sewing machines, to join sections of garments or other articles into finished products on a piece-work or production basis
- Operate fur sewing machines to join fur pelt strips to required size and shape and join pelts into garment sections or shells
- Operate stitching machines to sew leather parts together for leather garments, handbags, shoes and other leather articles
- Operate serging machines to sew and overcast edges of material simultaneously
- Operate tackers, pocketsetters, buttonhole makers and fusing, hemmer and other machines to perform various operations in the fabrication of garments and other articles
- Examine garments and operate sewing machines, sergers and other machines to repair garments and other articles during the manufacturing process
- Complete production reports
- May perform minor maintenance and repairs on sewing machine.
Employment requirements
- Some secondary school education is usually required.
- Experience operating a sewing machine is usually required.
- On-the-job training may be provided.
Example job titles
leather-glove-stitching machine operator · sewing machine operator · fabric mender · material mender · garment mender - sewing · textile products mender · moccasin sewer · multineedle sewing machine operator · overlock sewing machine operator · overedging machine operator · overcasting machine operator · serging machine operator · overseamer - garment manufacturing · piping-sewing machine operator · profile-pocket sewing machine operator · rug joiner · rug sewer · sample sewer · overcaster - garment manufacturing · serger - garment manufacturing · sewer - garment manufacturing · textile products sewer · automatic sewing machine operator · shoe parts sewer · shoe sewer · shoe stitcher · single-needle sewing machine operator · slipper maker · stitcher - garment manufacturing · stitching machine operator - industrial sewing machine · stocking stitcher · basting machine operator - sewing · tacking machine operator - sewing · tufted carpet mender · underwear sewer · vamp stitcher · slide-fastener-sewing machine operator · zipper-sewing machine operator · pocket setter · glove stitcher
Wages (per hour)
| Province / territory | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $15.30 | $18.00 | $23.00 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.13 | $16.77 | $17.37 |
| Nova Scotia | $16.50 | $18.71 | $22.91 |
| New Brunswick | $15.65 | $16.88 | $20.37 |
| Quebec | $16.10 | $18.00 | $21.00 |
| Ontario | $17.60 | $17.60 | $23.00 |
| Manitoba | $16.00 | $16.00 | $18.90 |
| Alberta | $17.00 | $21.00 | $21.00 |
| British Columbia | $17.85 | $20.00 | $25.00 |
Source: Job Bank wages, 2025 release (ESDC). Low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles.
Occupation details: ESDC OaSIS 2025, based on NOC 2021.