Occupation Summary

Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers

O*NET 51-6041.00

Description:

Construct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles. May use hand tools.

Annual Wages:
$29,847.00
Employment Rate:
Employment is expected to increase by -9.16%.
Education Level:
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED). According to O*Net, the majority of people employed in this occupation have this level of education.
Endorsement:
Business and Industry

  1. Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses.
  2. Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets.
  3. Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts.
  4. Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes.
  5. Select materials and patterns, and trace patterns onto materials to be cut out.
  6. Dress and otherwise finish boots or shoes, as by trimming the edges of new soles and heels to the shoe shape.
  7. Estimate the costs of requested products or services such as custom footwear or footwear repair, and receive payment from customers.
  8. Attach insoles to shoe lasts, affix shoe uppers, and apply heels and outsoles.
  9. Cement, nail, or sew soles and heels to shoes.
  10. Shape shoe heels with a knife, and sand them on a buffing wheel for smoothness.
  11. Repair or replace soles, heels, and other parts of footwear, using sewing, buffing and other shoe repair machines, materials, and equipment.
  12. Make, modify, and repair orthopedic or therapeutic footwear according to doctors' prescriptions, or modify existing footwear for people with foot problems and special needs.
  13. Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves.
  14. Place shoes on lasts to remove soles and heels, using knives or pliers.
  15. Clean and polish shoes.
  16. Check the texture, color, and strength of leather to ensure that it is adequate for a particular purpose.
  17. Read prescriptions or specifications, and take measurements to establish the type of product to be made, using calipers, tape measures, or rules.
  18. Inspect articles for defects, and remove damaged or worn parts, using hand tools.
  19. Drill or punch holes and insert or attach metal rings, handles, and fastening hardware, such as buckles.
  20. Attach accessories or ornamentation to decorate or protect products.
  21. Cut, insert, position, and secure paddings, cushioning, or linings, using stitches or glue.
  22. Draw patterns, using measurements, designs, plaster casts, or customer specifications, and position or outline patterns on work pieces.
  23. Stretch shoes, dampening parts and inserting and twisting parts, using an adjustable stretcher.
  24. Nail heel and toe cleats onto shoes.
  25. Prepare inserts, heel pads, and lifts from casts of customers' feet.
  26. Re-sew seams, and replace handles and linings of suitcases or handbags.


National Industry Employment Patterns


Industry % of Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers employed Annual Growth Rate
Shoe retailers 4.4 0.00
Personal and household goods repair and maintenance 4.2 0.00
Jewelry, luggage, and leather goods retailers 2.4 0.00


Labor Market Information


2024 Statewide average hourly wage $14.35
2024 National average hourly wage $17.44
2022 National employment 9,800
2022 Texas employment 3,252
Texas projected employment by 2032 2,954
Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2032 335




TEXAS COUNTY MAP BY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA
* Due to confidentiality rules, not all regions may have the data displayed. The sum of all the regions may not be equal to the state total.


Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Production and Processing
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
64.60%
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
59.60%
Mechanical
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
58.00%
Sales and Marketing
Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
51.60%
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
48.00%
Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
43.00%
Engineering and Technology
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
40.20%
Economics and Accounting
Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
38.60%
Design
Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
37.80%
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
37.40%


Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
60.00%
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
60.00%
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
60.00%
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
60.00%
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
57.60%
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
57.60%
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
57.60%
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
57.60%
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
57.60%
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
57.60%


Top 10 Relevant Abilities Relevant Importance Levels
Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
70.00%
Arm-Hand Steadiness
The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
65.00%
Finger Dexterity
The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
65.00%
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
62.40%
Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
60.00%
Inductive Reasoning
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
60.00%
Information Ordering
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
60.00%
Category Flexibility
The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
60.00%
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
60.00%
Control Precision
The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
60.00%


  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    -- Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    -- Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Controlling Machines and Processes
    -- Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Handling and Moving Objects
    -- Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    -- Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Other Activities


  • Independence
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
  • Support
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

No certifications found.


Tools

Anatomical models: Shoe lasts;

Applicator brushes: Polish applicator brushes;

Awls: Leather awls; Leather punchers;

Bench scales: Digital scales;

Blade sharpener: Scissor sharpeners; Knife sharpeners;

Calipers: Digital calipers;

Cash registers: Electronic cash registers;

Hammers: Shoe hammers; Tack hammers;

Hand clamps: Hand clamps;

Inkjet printers: Computer inkjet printers;

Leather cutting machines: Leather skivers; Mini leather cutters; Bench trimmers;

Leather presses: Shoe repair presses;

Leather riveting machines: Leather rivet settings;

Leatherworking workshop equipment: Hole punching equipment;

Magnetic stripe readers and encoders: Credit card readers;

Personal computers: Personal computers;

Planes: Block planes;

Polishing machines: Shoe polishing machines;

Power buffers: Buffing wheels;

Power drills: Cordless drills;

Protective gloves: Safety gloves;

Pullers: Cobblers' pincers;

Punches or nail sets or drifts: Rotary hole punchers; Leather drive punch sets;

Razor knives: Razor knives;

Rotary paper or fabric cutter: Rotary fabric cutters; Portable electric fabric cutters;

Rulers: Precision rulers;

Sanding machines: Shoe sanding machines;

Sewing machines: Sole stitchers; Automatic sole stitchers; Industrial sewing machines; Outside stitching machines;

Sewing needles: Sewing needles;

Shears: Leather shears; Heavy duty scissors;

Shoe heelpiece machine: Heel-nailing machines;

Slip or groove joint pliers: Slip-joint pliers;

Tape measures: Measuring tapes;

Utility knives: Utility knives;

Wire brushes: Wire cleaning brushes;

Wire cutters: Wire nippers;


Technology

Accounting software: Bookkeeping software; Financial accounting software;

Inventory management software: Inventory tracking software;

Point of sale POS software: Sale processing software;

Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel;


Related O*NET occupational titles for Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers include:
  • 51-9031.00 Cutters and Trimmers, Hand
  • 51-7021.00 Furniture Finishers
  • 51-9022.00 Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
  • 51-9071.00 Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers
  • 51-9195.00 Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
  • 51-6051.00 Sewers, Hand
  • 51-6031.00 Sewing Machine Operators
  • 51-6042.00 Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders
  • 51-6052.00 Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers
  • 51-6093.00 Upholsterers


No sources of additional information found.

Contact Texas Workforce Commission
Labor Market and Career Information  |  101 E. 15th Street, Annex Room 0252  |  Austin, Texas 78778
Official Website  |  1-800-822-PLAN (7526)  |  512.936.3200

** The information in this report may be derived from many sources like O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and Career One Stop.