Clothing technologist
Also called clothing engineer, clothing technician, textile technologist
Clothing technologists work on the design, development and production of textile and apparel products. They carry out a range of technical, investigative and quality control work to ensure the end product (from clothing to household up to industrial textiles). They perform to specifications, improve production efficiency and quality while liaising with those involved in the production process. They liaise with designers, adapt designs to suit production methods, make and size pre-production garments, source fabrics and accessories, undertake quality evaluations of materials, check the quality of the final product, and consider ecological aspects.
What you'd do
Industrial and production engineers · ILO- Studying functional statements, organizational charts and project information to determine functions and responsibilities of workers and work units and to identify areas of duplication
- Establishing work measurement programmes and analysing work samples to develop standards for labour utilization
- Analysing workforce utilization, facility layout, operational data and production schedules and costs to determine optimum worker and equipment efficiencies
- Developing specifications for manufacture, and determining materials, equipment, piping, material flows, capacities and layout of plant and systems
- Organizing and managing project labour and the delivery of materials, plant and equipment
- Establishing standards and policies for installation, modification, quality control, testing, inspection and maintenance according to engineering principles and safety regulations
- Inspecting plant to improve and maintain performance
- Directing the maintenance of plant buildings and equipment, and coordinating the requirements for new designs, surveys and maintenance schedules
- Advising management on new production methods, techniques and equipment
- Liaising with materials buying, storing and controlling departments to ensure a steady flow of supplies
Will there be jobs?
Yes, good prospects10 EU countries are short of industrial and production engineers now, and many jobs will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
Above averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €2,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €7,100 (Denmark), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among professionals in the EU, women earn 21% less per hour than men. Professionals · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Usually a degreeA degree in textiles (clothes, footwear and leather) is the usual route.
949 institutions in the EU offer engineering bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
LittleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.37 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 10 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for industrial and production engineers. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).