Sewing Machinist

A sewing machinist operates industrial sewing machines in manufacturing settings to join, finish, or decorate fabric and textile materials according to specifications. The role involves repetitive precision stitching of garments, upholstery, footwear components, or technical textiles, working to quality standards and production targets set by supervisors or pattern specifications.

Operate single-needle, multi-needle, or specialist industrial sewing machines to join seams on fabric components. Thread and tension industrial sewing machines, adjusting needle size and thread type for different fabric weights and materials. Position and feed fabric pieces under the presser foot using both hands to maintain straight seams and consistent stitch length. Monitor stitch quality during operation, identifying and removing garments with broken threads, skipped stitches, or uneven seams. Change needles, bobbins, and thread spools between production runs or when needles become bent or dulled. Perform routine cleaning of machine lint traps and oiling of moving parts according to manufacturer maintenance schedules. Read sewing specifications, pattern markers, or digital production instructions to determine stitch type, seam placement, and finishing requirements. Trim thread ends and loose fabric from completed seams using scissors or rotary cutters.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The work is highly repetitive and physically demanding. You'll spend hours each day sitting, feeding fabric through machines with precise hand movements, which causes wrist and shoulder strain. Pay is modest and growth limited: most positions don't lead anywhere without moving into supervision. Overseas manufacturing has reduced Australian jobs significantly.

Some work in regional areas near manufacturing hubs. The reality is jobs are scarce and mostly in metro areas where factories still operate locally rather than outsourced overseas.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 7116, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Multitaskingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Process Improvement Identificationcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Workflow Prioritisationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Active Listening
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Incident Reporting
• Inventory Tracking
• Process Documentation
• Stock Counting and Stocktake
• Verbal Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Sewing Machinist workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026