AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 51-6041.00

Will AI replace Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers?

Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 26 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a frontier-tier model.

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Every task, scored

The 26 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.

Task AI exposure Evidence Model tier Importance
Draw patterns, using measurements, designs, plaster casts, or customer specifications, and position or outline patterns on work pieces. 50 Estimated Frontier 4.3
Repair or replace soles, heels, and other parts of footwear, using sewing, buffing and other shoe repair machines, materials, and equipment. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.4
Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Estimate the costs of requested products or services such as custom footwear or footwear repair, and receive payment from customers. 20 Estimated Frontier 4.3
Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.3
Inspect articles for defects, and remove damaged or worn parts, using hand tools. 20 Estimated Efficient 4.2
Make, modify, and repair orthopedic or therapeutic footwear according to doctors' prescriptions, or modify existing footwear for people with foot problems and special needs. 20 Estimated Efficient 3.9
Dress and otherwise finish boots or shoes, as by trimming the edges of new soles and heels to the shoe shape. 15 Estimated No tier 4.8
Attach insoles to shoe lasts, affix shoe uppers, and apply heels and outsoles. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Clean and polish shoes. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Cement, nail, or sew soles and heels to shoes. 15 Estimated No tier 4.5
Check the texture, color, and strength of leather to ensure that it is adequate for a particular purpose. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Shape shoe heels with a knife, and sand them on a buffing wheel for smoothness. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Place shoes on lasts to remove soles and heels, using knives or pliers. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Cut, insert, position, and secure paddings, cushioning, or linings, using stitches or glue. 15 Estimated No tier 4.4
Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Nail heel and toe cleats onto shoes. 15 Estimated No tier 4.3
Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts. 15 Estimated No tier 4.2
Re-sew seams, and replace handles and linings of suitcases or handbags. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Stretch shoes, dampening parts and inserting and twisting parts, using an adjustable stretcher. 15 Estimated No tier 4.1
Drill or punch holes and insert or attach metal rings, handles, and fastening hardware, such as buckles. 15 Estimated No tier 4.0
Read prescriptions or specifications, and take measurements to establish the type of product to be made, using calipers, tape measures, or rules. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Attach accessories or ornamentation to decorate or protect products. 15 Estimated No tier 3.9
Select materials and patterns, and trace patterns onto materials to be cut out. 15 Estimated No tier 3.6
Prepare inserts, heel pads, and lifts from casts of customers' feet. 8 Estimated No tier 4.8

Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 26 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 26 of 26. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.

The model tier this role needs

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 27% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 27% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 73% is hands-on.

Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.

Wages, employment and outlook

US employment
7,450
Median annual wage
$37,800
Middle half of earners
$31,270 to $45,670
Projected change, 2024 to 2034
-3.8%

Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.

Adjacent roles

The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.

Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.

Questions about Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers and AI

Will AI replace Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers?

Not on current evidence. None of the 26 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 17 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears.

What is the AI exposure of Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers?

17 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 26 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 26 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.

Which Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers tasks can AI already do?

None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Draw patterns, using measurements, designs, plaster casts, or customer specifications, and position or outline patterns on work pieces, at 50 out of 100.

What AI model tier does this role need?

A frontier-tier model or lower covers 27% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 73% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.

How many people work as Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers, and what do they earn?

7,450 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $37,800 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -3.8% from 2024 to 2034.

How to cite

Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.

JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/shoe-and-leather-workers-and-repairers

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