Pre-stitching machine operator
Also called skiver, burnisher, edge inker
Pre-stitching machine operators handle tools and equipment for splitting, skiving, folding, punching, crimping, placking, and marking the uppers to be stitched and, when needed, apply reinforcement strips in various pieces. They may also glue the pieces together before stitching them. Pre-stitching machine operators perform these tasks according to the instructions of the technical sheet.
What you'd do
Shoemaking and related machine operators · ILO- Operating and monitoring machines which mark patterns and cut shoe parts
- Operating and monitoring machines which sew shoe parts together, or edge, polish, or apply ornaments and perform finishing tasks
- Operating and monitoring machines which produce luggage, handbags, belts and other accessories, as well as other items such as saddles, collars or harnesses
- Indoors
- A mix of sitting and standing
- Lots of contact with people, mostly with colleagues
- Some freedom to decide
- Usually 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Limited prospectsFewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
About averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,500 (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 plant and machine operators, and assemblers in the EU, women earn 21% less per hour than men. Plant and machine operators, and assemblers · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Upper secondary or vocationalUpper secondary or vocational training in textiles (clothes, footwear and leather) is the usual route.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.16 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 3 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 shoemaking and related machine operators. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).