Dressmakers and Tailors

ANZSCO ID 393213

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
5,500
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
49%
Female Share
84%
Average age
50

Summary

Dressmakers or Tailors make, alter and repair women's and men's tailored garments, formal wear, couturier clothing, and special occasion wear such as suits, dresses, coats, evening wear and bridal wear.

Specialisations: Costume Maker, Wardrobe Assistant, Wardrobe Coordinator.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Dressmaker or Tailor. Although some workers have a certificate III or IV in textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) production or applied fashion design and technology.

Tasks

  • Confers with customers to determine material, styles and designs of garments.

  • Interprets designs, sketches and samples to determine pattern specifications.

  • Cuts out master patterns.

  • Lays up and cuts fabric.

  • Pins, bastes and drapes garment parts.

  • Sews garments.

  • Fits basted garments on customers and marks areas requiring alteration.

  • Sews buttonholes, and sews on buttons, hooks, eyes and press fasteners to finish garments.

  • Pressing and finishing work.

Characteristics

Job Type
Technicians And Trades Workers
Skill Level
Medium skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Creative
Physical Demand
  • Light

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Clothing Trades Workers, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 49% of people employed as Dressmakers and Tailors work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 17 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 44 hours per week in their main job. This is the same as the all jobs average.

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Manufacturing
38.3%
2
Other Services
27.1%
3
Retail Trade
8.6%
4
Arts and Recreation Services
3.7%
5
Other industries
12.5%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

34.3% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

27.9% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

17.2% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.9% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

10.4% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.0% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.0% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.3% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Dressmakers and Tailors All Jobs Average
NSW 34.3 31.6
VIC 27.9 25.6
QLD 17.2 20.0
SA 5.9 7.0
WA 10.4 10.8
TAS 2.0 2.0
NT 1.0 1.0
ACT 1.3 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
50
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
84%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Dressmakers and Tailors is 50 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 84% of the workforce. This is 36 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Dressmakers and Tailors All Jobs Average
15-19 2.1 5.0
20-24 4.6 9.3
25-34 13.7 22.9
35-44 15.2 22.0
45-54 28.1 21.6
55-59 15.0 9.0
60-64 11.8 6.0
65 and Over 9.4 4.2
Median Age 50 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Dressmaker or Tailor. Although some workers have a certificate III or IV in textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) production or applied fashion design and technology.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Textiles, Clothing & Footwear VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Dressmakers and Tailors All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 2.1 10.1
Bachelor degree 11.0 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 16.4 11.6
Certificate III/IV 16.6 21.1
Year 12 22.6 18.1
Year 11 4.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 27.1 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Clothing Trades Workers who are hardworking, reliable and work well in a team.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 45%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 45%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 43%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 41%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 41%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 39%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 39%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 39%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 39%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.

  • 39%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 37%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 37%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 36%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 34%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 34%

    Operation monitoring

    Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

  • 34%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 32%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 32%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 30%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 27%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 62%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 46%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 44%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 42%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 41%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 41%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 38%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 38%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 35%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 34%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 34%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 26%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 25%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 24%

    Philosophy and theology

    Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.

  • 20%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 20%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 20%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 15%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

  • 14%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 6%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 54%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 52%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 52%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 46%

    Visualization

    Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

  • 46%

    Control precision

    Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

  • 46%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 46%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 43%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

  • 41%

    Colour discrimination

    Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.

  • 39%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 39%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 39%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 38%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 38%

    Multilimb coordination

    Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.

  • 38%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 38%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 36%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 34%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 34%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 69%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 68%

    Controlling equipment or machines

    Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).

  • 58%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 56%

    Working with mechanical equipment

    Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment.

  • 53%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 51%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 50%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 47%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 46%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 46%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 45%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 44%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 44%

    Influencing people

    Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.

  • 43%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 43%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 37%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.

  • 33%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 32%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

    Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.

  • 29%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 28%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 95%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 57%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 52%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 33%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 29%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 14%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 62%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 62%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 62%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 50%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 38%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 38%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 97%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 95%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 92%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 92%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 90%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 89%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 89%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 88%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 85%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 84%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 83%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 83%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 73%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 70%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 70%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 69%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 68%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

  • 67%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 66%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 63%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 51-6052.00 - Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers.


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