Weaver
Role lens
Weavers operate the weaving process at traditional hand powered weaving machines (from silk to carpet, from flat to Jacquard). They monitor the condition of machines and the fabric quality, such as woven fabrics for clothing, home-tex or technical end uses. They carry out mechanic works on machines that convert yarns into fabrics such as blankets, carpets, towels and clothing material. They repair loom malfunctions as reported by the weaver, and complete loom check out sheets.
Weavers are skilled artisans and technicians responsible for operating weaving machines, both traditional hand-powered and more advanced models. Your daily work involves carefully monitoring the weaving process, ensuring fabric quality, and performing necessary maintenance and repairs on the machinery. You’ll be involved in creating a wide range of textiles, including fabrics for clothing, home textiles, and specialized technical applications.
- • Operating weaving machines to produce fabrics like blankets, carpets, towels, and clothing material.
- • Monitoring the weaving process and inspecting fabric quality to identify and correct any defects.
- • Performing basic mechanical repairs and maintenance on weaving machines to ensure smooth operation.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Handicraft and printing workers — 77 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Bulgaria, Italy.
Longest-running shortage: Bulgaria, 2 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, Australia, Malta)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $39,530 2025-05 | −11.2% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Australia | Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Do you guide students, clients or employees? Use this occupation data in your organisation.
Future Outlook for weaver
The outlook for weaver 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 weaver 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
- use textile technique for hand-made products
- manufacture knitted textiles
- manufacture woven fabrics
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 AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
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 weaver
09 09:00 · Morning tend automatic sewing machines
10 10:30 · Mid-morning tend knitting machine
12 12:00 · Midday manufacture knitted textiles
14 14:00 · Afternoon manufacture staple yarns
15 15:30 · Late afternoon manufacture weft knitted fabrics
17 17:00 · Wrap-up manufacture woven fabrics
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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manufacture knitted textiles
Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture knitted products keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.
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manufacture woven fabrics
Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture woven fabrics.
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manufacture staple yarns
Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture staple fiber yarns.
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tend knitting machine
Operate knitting machines keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.
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tend weaving machines
Operate weaving machines keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.
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operate garment manufacturing machines
Operate and monitor machines which make miscellaneous wearing apparel articles. Operate and monitor machines that fold cloth into measured length, and measure size of pieces.
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tend textile finishing machines
Operate textile finishing machines keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.
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use warp knitting technologies
Use warp knitting machine technologies that enable the formation of fabrics. Able to set machines for warp knitting, colour and pattern for monitoring and controlling the warp knitting process on electronic automatic warp knitting machines equipped with multifunction microprocessor and software.
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use weaving machine technologies
Operate machines that enable weaving processes turning threads into fabrics. Setup weaving machine programmes for the machine to produce fabrics with the adequate pattern, colour and fabric density.
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tend textile washing machines
Operate textile washing machines keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.
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tend automatic sewing machines
Operate machines that stitch folded and glued bottoms of multiwall paper bags to provide additional strength.
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manufacture weft knitted fabrics
Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture weft knitting fabrics.
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use textile technique for hand-made products
Using textile technique to produce hand-made products, such as carpets, tapestry, embroidery, lace, silk screen printing, wearing apparel, etc.
textile techniques
The various steps and methods of the manufacturing process of textile. The techniques applied to the finishing of textile products based on the type of textile used.
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.
textile industry machinery products
The offered textile industry machinery products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.
types of textile fibres
The variety of textile fibres both natural such as wool and hemp and man-made or synthetic fibers.
- textile measurement
- textile technologies
- health and safety in the textile industry
- textile industry
Path to become a weaver
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Upper secondary education
The closest officially recognised professional qualification in the Flemish qualification structure:
- Wever Flemish level 3
A closest match, not an exact equivalent: a qualification is often narrower than the occupation. Source: AHOVOKS, Flemish government (Kwalificatiedatabank), reused under the Flemish Open Licence for free reuse.
578 programmes in 28 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:
Ammattiopisto Tavastia · Finland
Bachelor of Textiles (Design)
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology · Australia
International Master of Science in Textile Engineering
Universiteit Gent · Belgium
South Africa
These are 6 of 661.
Sources
- 1. Source: Opintopolku.fi (Finnish National Agency for Education)
- 2. Source: Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Education), CRICOS, data.gov.au, CC BY 2.5 AU. Data as at 01/09/2026. Adapted by NexPath.
- 3. Source: Hogeronderwijsregister, Flemish government (hogeronderwijsregister.be). Flemish Community of Belgium only.
- 4. Source: South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), All Qualifications and Unit Standards (allqs.saqa.org.za).
- 5. Source: Malta Qualifications Registry, Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (qualifications.mfhea.gov.mt).
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does weaver fit?
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 weaving machines do weavers typically work with?
Is this a job I could do as a self-employed business?
What skills are important for success as a weaver?
Is there a shortage of Weaver in Europe?
How much does Weaver pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data