Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers

Most exposed tasks

Highest structured exposure values in this role’s task mix — the work AI systems can already do most of.

No strongly automatable task in the current data release.

Augmentable tasks

Work where AI assists rather than replaces — the productivity frontier of this role.

• Mark samples and finished patterns with information, such as garment size, section, style, identification, and sewing instructions.56
• Compute dimensions of patterns according to sizes, considering stretching of material.47
• Draw details on outlined parts to indicate where parts are to be joined, as well as the positions of pleats, pockets, buttonholes, and other features, using computers or drafting instruments.44

Most durable tasks

Lowest exposure — typically judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability. This is the human moat.

• Discuss design specifications with designers, and convert their original models of garments into patterns of separate parts that can be laid out on a length of fabric.25
• Create a paper pattern from which to mass-produce a design concept.26
• Create design specifications to provide instructions on garment sewing and assembly.26

Task exposure values and classifications come from the versioned data release — they are structured data, not model output. Bars show exposure contribution relative to this role’s task mix.

What this means

A score of 39 puts Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. In practice, exposure this level is about the mix: 0 of 16 analyzed tasks lean automatable, 12 augmentable, and 4 durable. The useful question isn’t “will AI take this job” — it’s which tasks go first, which get faster, and where to reposition time. That’s what the personalized report maps against your actual week.

One next move: adopt AI deliberately on the augmentable tasks and build visible evidence of the durable ones.

Lower-exposure adjacent roles

No adjacent role in the current data release is at least 10 points lower with ≥50% skill overlap — we don’t label anything “safer” unless the data supports it.

Labor-market context

• $62,750median wage
• 2,950employed
• 300annual openings
• -10.7%projected growth

Context only — labor statistics are not inputs to the exposure score. See methodology.

Related roles

Adjacent by skills or family — no exposure claim implied.

• Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic 40
• Sewers, Hand 32
• Patternmakers, Wood 45
• Fashion Designers 31
• Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers 32
• Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic 35

FAQ — Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers

What does a score of 39 mean for a Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers?

It means that, weighted across the 16 tasks we analyzed for this role, the task mix sits at 39 on a 0–100 exposure scale — in the second quartile of analyzed occupations. It measures task exposure to current and near-term AI capabilities, not the probability of losing a job.

Which tasks in this role are most exposed to AI?

This role has no strongly automatable task in the current data release.

Which parts of this job are most durable?

The most durable responsibilities are: Discuss design specifications with designers, and convert their original models of garments into patterns of separate parts that can be laid out on a length of fabric; Create a paper pattern from which to mass-produce a design concept; Create design specifications to provide instructions on garment sewing and assembly. Durable tasks typically depend on judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability.

Is this score personalized to me?

No — this page shows the occupation-level baseline. Two people with the same title often do different work. The $9 personalized report recalculates the score from the tasks you actually do and builds a concrete 7/30/90-day plan around them.