Mattress Maker
Role lens
Mattress makers form mattresses by creating pads and coverings. They tuft mattresses by hand and cut, spread and attach the padding and cover material over the innerspring assemblies.
Mattress makers are skilled craftspeople responsible for the construction of mattresses. Your daily work involves carefully assembling the various components – from innerspring units to padding and coverings – ensuring each mattress meets quality standards. This role requires precision, attention to detail, and often involves both manual dexterity and physical stamina.
- • Cutting, spreading, and attaching padding materials to mattress frames.
- • Tufting mattresses by hand, securing layers with strong stitching.
- • Attaching the mattress cover material precisely over the innerspring assembly.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Food processing, wood working, garment and other craft and related trades workers — 115 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany and 4 more.
Longest-running shortage: Lithuania, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $46,340 2025-05 | −1.8% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +7.9% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Shortage reported Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £26,966 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
Do you guide students, clients or employees? Use this occupation data in your organisation.
Future Outlook for mattress maker
The outlook for mattress maker reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could mattress maker change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
Most tasks here are AI-assistable rather than purely human-led.
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- sew textile-based articles
- use manual sewing techniques
- fasten components
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Advanced Manufacturing
A typical day as a mattress maker
09 09:00 · Morning install spring suspension
10 10:30 · Mid-morning sew textile-based articles
12 12:00 · Midday use manual sewing techniques
14 14:00 · Afternoon cut textiles
15 15:30 · Late afternoon fasten components
17 17:00 · Wrap-up sew pieces of fabric
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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sew textile-based articles
Sew different products based on textiles and wearing apparel articles. Combine good hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, and physical and mental stamina.
-
use manual sewing techniques
Use manuel sewing and stitching techniques to manufacture or repair fabrics or textile-based articles.
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install spring suspension
Nail down the springs to the wooden frame of a chair or other piece of furniture to be upholstered. In the case of mattresses, check the structure holding the springs for defects and fix the layers of protective fabrics to cover the spring suspension.
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sew pieces of fabric
Operate basic or specialised sewing machines whether domestic or industrial ones, sewing pieces of fabric, vinyl or leather in order to manufacture or repair wearing apparels, making sure the threads are selected according to specifications.
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fasten components
Fasten components together according to blueprints and technical plans in order to create subassemblies or finished products.
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cut textiles
Cut textiles fitting to customers' desires and needs.
properties of textile materials
The characteristics and properties of different textile and fabric materials. These include strength, flexibility, elasticity, softness, durability, heat insulation, low weight, water absorbency/repellence, dyeability and resistance to chemicals. Moreover, the influence of chemical composition and molecular arrangement of yarn and fibre properties and fabric structure on the physical properties of textile fabrics; the different fibre types; the materials used in different processes and the effect on materials as they are processed.
upholstery fillings
Materials used to fill soft furniture like upholstered chairs or mattresses must have several properties such as resilience, lightness, high-bulk properties. They can be fillings of animal origin such as feathers, of vegetal origin such as cotton wool or of synthetic fibers.
furniture industry
Companies and activities involved in the design, manufacture, distribution and sale of functional and decorative objects of household equipment.
furniture trends
The latest trends and manfacturers in the furniture industry.
- upholstery tools
Path to become a mattress maker
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Upper secondary education
147 programmes in 23 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 83 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Bachelor of Science in Furniture Design and Manufacture
Atlantic Technological University · Ireland
Furniture and Interior Design Technician
ŠUMARSKA ŠKOLA SA DOMOM UČENIKA · Serbia
Development Quality Partner - FPMSETA (MAN) · South Africa
L2 Furniture and Furnishing Maintenance
TRAINING MASTERS WORKFORCE INSTITUTE PTE LTD · Singapore
These are 6 of 230.
Sources
- 1. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 2. Source: Study in Serbia, an initiative of Foundation Tempus (bazaobrazovanja.rs).
- 3. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov), CC BY. Data as at 10/06/2026. Adapted by NexPath.
- 4. Source: South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), All Qualifications and Unit Standards (allqs.saqa.org.za).
- 5. Source: Study in Korea, National Institute for International Education (NIIED) (studyinkorea.go.kr).
- 6. Contains information from MySkillsFuture Course Run accessed on 2026-09-28 from data.gov.sg which is made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0 (https://data.gov.sg/open-data-licence)
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does mattress maker fit?
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Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of physical demands are involved in being a mattress maker?
Are there opportunities for specialization within mattress making?
What skills or qualities are important for success as a mattress maker?
Is there a shortage of Mattress Maker in Europe?
How much does Mattress Maker pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 19, 2026 About our data