NOC 94132: Industrial sewing machine operators
What industrial sewing machine operators do
Industrial sewing machine operators operate sewing machines to sew fabric, fur, leather or synthetic materials to produce or repair garments and other articles. They are employed in clothing, footwear, textile products, fur products and other manufacturing establishments and by furriers.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Assemble pieces of garments by matching patterns and dye lots
- Operate single, double or multi-needle serging, flat bed felling, banding and other sewing machines, to join sections of garments or other articles into finished products on a piece-work or production basis
- Operate fur sewing machines to join fur pelt strips to required size and shape and join pelts into garment sections or shells
- Operate stitching machines to sew leather parts together for leather garments, handbags, shoes and other leather articles
- Operate serging machines to sew and overcast edges of material simultaneously
- Operate tackers, pocketsetters, buttonhole makers and fusing, hemmer and other machines to perform various operations in the fabrication of garments and other articles
- Examine garments and operate sewing machines, sergers and other machines to repair garments and other articles during the manufacturing process
- Complete production reports
- May perform minor maintenance and repairs on sewing machine.
Job titles under NOC 94132
87 job titles are classified here, including fur sewing machine operator, leather products sewing machine operator, lining stitcher.
- automatic basting sewing machine operator
- automatic sewing machine operator
- bag sewer - textile manufacturing
- basting machine operator - sewing
- binding machine operator - sewing
- binding sewing machine operator
- binding stitcher - footwear manufacturing
- blindstitch-sewing machine operator
- button stayer
- buttonhole finisher
- buttonhole machine operator
- buttonhole maker
- buttonhole stayer
- canvas goods sewing machine operator
- carpet binder
- carpet sewer
- closer - sewing
- closer sewing machine operator
- cloth mender
- commercial sewing machine operator
- domestic sewing machine operator
- double needle sewing machine operator
- double needle sewing machine stitcher
- drapery header
Employment requirements
- Some secondary school education is usually required.
- Experience operating a sewing machine is usually required.
- On-the-job training may be provided.
Industrial sewing machine operators wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $15.30/hr | $18.00/hr | $23.00/hr |
Toronto ON | $17.60/hr | $17.60/hr | $23.00/hr |
Montréal QC | $16.10/hr | $17.00/hr | $21.00/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $17.85/hr | $20.00/hr | $25.00/hr |
Calgary AB | $17.83/hr | $20.64/hr | $25.45/hr |
Edmonton AB | $17.78/hr | $20.30/hr | $25.69/hr |
Ottawa ON | $17.60/hr | $19.52/hr | $24.33/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $16.00/hr | $16.00/hr | $17.00/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $16.10/hr | $18.00/hr | $21.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $17.60/hr | $19.25/hr | $25.00/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $17.60/hr | $19.18/hr | $25.62/hr |
Halifax NS | $16.50/hr | $19.15/hr | $20.01/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.13/hr | $16.77/hr | $17.37/hr |
Nova Scotia | $16.50/hr | $18.71/hr | $22.91/hr |
New Brunswick | $15.65/hr | $16.88/hr | $20.37/hr |
Quebec | $16.10/hr | $18.00/hr | $21.00/hr |
Ontario | $17.60/hr | $17.60/hr | $23.00/hr |
Manitoba | $16.00/hr | $16.00/hr | $18.90/hr |
Alberta | $17.00/hr | $21.00/hr | $21.00/hr |
British Columbia | $17.85/hr | $20.00/hr | $25.00/hr |
Using NOC 94132 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 87 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Embroidery machine operator (NOC 94131)
- Inspectors and graders, textile, fabric, fur and leather products manufacturing (NOC 94133)
- Mattress sewing machine operator (NOC 94131)
- Sewing machine operators supervisor (NOC 95105)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for industrial sewing machine operators?
Industrial sewing machine operators are NOC 2021 unit group 94132. Example job titles in this group include fur sewing machine operator, leather products sewing machine operator, lining stitcher, sample sewer.
What TEER is NOC 94132?
NOC 94132 is TEER 4 (High school and on-the-job training). Usually requires completion of secondary school, or several weeks of on-the-job training. TEER 4 and 5 work does not count as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do industrial sewing machine operators earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $18.00/hr, about $35,000 a year full-time, with a range of $15.30/hr to $23.00/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.