Production
Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders
Also called: Boot Maker, Cobbler, Inseamer, Insole Department Worker
US median pay
$35,650
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
-6.9%
declining
Openings a year (US)
400
4,600 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
Operate or tend a variety of machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
What they do day to day
- Inspect finished products to ensure that shoes have been completed according to specifications.
- Align parts to be stitched, following seams, edges, or markings, before positioning them under needles.
- Operate or tend machines to join, decorate, reinforce, or finish shoes and shoe parts.
- Remove and examine shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels.
- Switch on machines, lower pressure feet or rollers to secure parts, and start machine stitching, using hand, foot, or knee controls.
- Draw thread through machine guide slots, needles, and presser feet in preparation for stitching, or load rolls of wire through machine axles.
- Study work orders or shoe part tags to obtain information about workloads, specifications, and the types of materials to be used.
- Perform routine equipment maintenance such as cleaning and lubricating machines or replacing broken needles.
- Test machinery to ensure proper functioning before beginning production.
- Select and place spools of thread or pre-wound bobbins into shuttles, or onto spindles or loupers of stitching machines.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Operations Monitoring3.0/5
- Operation and Control3.0/5
- Quality Control Analysis2.9/5
- Equipment Maintenance2.9/5
- Troubleshooting2.8/5
- Time Management2.8/5
- Repairing2.6/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.6/5
Knowledge
- Production and Processing3.3/5
- Administration and Management3.0/5
- Education and Training2.7/5
- Customer and Personal Service2.5/5
- Personnel and Human Resources2.4/5
- Public Safety and Security2.4/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 2 of 5 — Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma; some previous work experience or training helps.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Less than high school46%
- High school diploma38%
- Some college15%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.