Industry group, 3159
Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing
11,910 people work in this industry in the US, at mean pay of $49,110 a year (BLS, May 2025). What follows is how much of their working time the best AI models could finish, when, and in which jobs and tasks. Estimates.
of the paid hours. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
a year: 5.3 million hours at what they cost. Not a forecast of savings.
- 28%
- 12%
- 60%
of the paid hours are within reach now in tasks people already bring to Claude. Another 18% is within reach in tasks not yet seen there.
Across the US: 30% within reach now and 36% by the end of 2028, on the long-run pace at four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
Share of the paid hours within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
What handing the work over would take
For the 9,750 people in jobs so far, 82% of the industry's people; the others are in the totals above and join this split as the review reaches their jobs. Shares of their working time within reach now, at the pace and reliability chosen above. Estimates. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
about 3.3 million hours a year. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
about 1.8 million hours a year. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
about 1.3 million hours a year. Short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the totals.
What their work is made of
- 19%
- 9%
- 7%
- 5%
- 60%
Each task's time split among five kinds of doing, judged one task at a time; only documents and systems can count as within reach.
What changes for the people
For the 9,750 people in jobs reviewed task by task so far, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five: the shares of their working time, from each job page's own map, weighted by how many people here do that job. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job. Estimates.
Conversation, in-person and hands-on work.
Desk work within reach in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs.
Desk work within reach that is small if wrong, with lighter checks.
What most people here would learn first
How many of them have each skill among the first two things to learn on their job's page. Every state, and the US
- The hands-on craft6,580 (67%)
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself3,520 (36%)
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts2,257 (23%)
- The conversations1,163 (12%)
- Running AI inside the business systems840 (9%)
- Dealing with people outside the organization540 (6%)
- Judgment where errors are severe190 (2%)
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this industry's paid hours were within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 16%. Today's estimate: 25%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 60% of the working time of the people in this industry as physical work. For 54% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 47% in a purpose-built cell, 7% in a structured facility. 0.61 of 3.
- Not physical 40%
- No robot shown 6%
- In a purpose-built cell 47%
- In a structured facility 7%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. Weighted by the people in each occupation; each job's page names the robot behind each rated task.
Where the hours are
Jobs by hours within reach now. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index. The 27 largest jobs hold 95% of the people.
| People | Pay here | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 540 | 46% | 521,165 | $54K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 330 | 64% | 442,042 | $39K |
| Graphic Designers | 240 | 87% | 433,807 | $38K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | 430 | 48% | 426,631 | $57K |
| General and Operations Managers | 380 | 45% | 355,683 | $100K |
| Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks | 320 | 53% | 353,434 | $37K |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 150 | 88% | 274,872 | $48K |
| Office Clerks, General | 210 | 56% | 246,792 | $42K |
| Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | 380 | 27% | 210,246 | $36K |
| Industrial Production Managers | 180 | 51% | 191,321 | $99K |
| Sewing Machine Operators | 3,930 | 2% | 171,662 | $35K |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 140 | 50% | 144,149 | $61K |
People: BLS counts for this industry, May 2025. Pay here: the median paid for the job in this industry, else its mean, else the national median. 15 smaller jobs (520 people) count in every total but are not listed. Task data covers 87% of the industry's people; the rest are in BLS "all other" groups with no task list, or in counts BLS does not publish.
The tasks with the most hours within reach by the end of 2028
Across the whole industry, on the chosen pace and reliability.
- Record quantities of materials processed.Sewing Machine Operators171,744 hours100% of the task within reach
- Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products122,710 hours100% of the task within reach
- Plan and establish work schedules, assignments, and production sequences to meet production goals.First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers100,906 hours100% of the task within reach
- Plan and develop new products and production processes.First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers93,427 hours70% of the task within reach
- Collect and analyze data on customer demographics, preferences, needs, and buying habits to identify potential markets and factors affecting product demand.Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists88,700 hours100% of the task within reach
- Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts, based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.Graphic Designers86,047 hours100% of the task within reach
- Develop graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and Web sites.Graphic Designers86,041 hours100% of the task within reach
- Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials.Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks85,303 hours100% of the task within reach
- Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products82,274 hours100% of the task within reach
- Obtain and examine all relevant information to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes, such as extreme weather conditions that could increase utility bills.Customer Service Representatives74,687 hours100% of the task within reach
Scan a typical company in this industry
The industry's largest jobs, in the proportions BLS counts across the whole industry, at the pay it pays, run through the company scan. A starting point before you have a roster, or a benchmark for the one you have. Or choose the whole industry: every occupation BLS publishes for it with task data, at its nationwide headcount, the sector report ($249 for the full report, or included in Pro).
Next to this industry
Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
How it is built: BLS counts the people in each job in this industry; each job's tasks and their lengths give its share within reach at a date; the industry's share is those shares weighted by people. Value is pay times 1.43 for benefits and payroll costs. Seen in Claude use splits today's share by whether Anthropic saw people bring each task to Claude in 2025; other AI tools are not counted. How it works
Questions about this industry
- How much of the work in Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 25% of the paid hours in Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing are within reach of AI models now and 28% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which jobs in Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing carry the most hours within reach?
- By hours within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index): Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products (540 people, 46% of their time, about 521,165 hours a year); Customer Service Representatives (330 people, 64% of their time, about 442,042 hours a year); and Graphic Designers (240 people, 87% of their time, about 433,805 hours a year).
- Which tasks in Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing carry the most hours within reach by the end of 2028?
- Record quantities of materials processed (Sewing Machine Operators, about 171,744 hours a year); Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales (Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products, about 122,710 hours a year); and Plan and establish work schedules, assignments, and production sequences to meet production goals (First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers, about 100,906 hours a year).
- What would people working in Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing learn first?
- Among the 9,750 people in jobs reviewed task by task, the skills most often among the first two things to learn on their job's page are the hands-on craft (6,580 people); reviewing work you did not do yourself (3,520 people); and briefing a model and checking its drafts (2,257 people). By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 72% of their working time stays with people, 19% becomes checking a model's work and 9% can be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- How is this estimated?
- BLS counts the people in each occupation in Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (May 2025); each occupation's share of working time within reach comes from its O*NET tasks, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval, and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. The industry's share is those shares weighted by people. Task data covers 87% of its people, and 82% are in occupations reviewed task by task. Data checked November 10, 2026.
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.