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Overview
Cutting machine operators prepare leather, textiles and synthetic materials for footwear production. They choose cutting areas, set machines, cut components and check pieces against specifications and quality requirements.
In job descriptions, look for automatic cutting systems, leather and footwear materials, die-cut machines, cut footwear uppers, material defects, stretch direction, blade changes, machine maintenance and quality control.
Explore this occupation
Open in Job ExplorerWhat the work can involve
Cutting machine operators work at the material-preparation stage of footwear production. They inspect leather or textiles, choose usable areas, set cutting technology and check that cut pieces fit specifications.
Skills and specializations
Useful strengths include operating automatic cutting systems, reading footwear component requirements, spotting material defects, adjusting cut sizes, maintaining cutting equipment and applying quality checks before stitching.
Salary context
Salary context depends on material type, machine complexity, production pace, quality responsibility, maintenance duties and whether the role handles programming or mainly machine operation. This guide does not provide salary amounts.
Career paths
Experience can lead toward footwear production supervision, quality control, pattern cutting, machine setup, pre-stitching coordination or broader leather-goods manufacturing roles.
Good to know
Check whether vacancies name footwear uppers, leather grading, automatic knives, die-cut machines, blade changes, maintenance and quality inspection. These details show the technical level of the cutting work.
Editorial note
This guide is editorial career context. It is not official labour-market statistics or role-specific salary data.
Map overview
Click the map to search for cutting machine operator jobs.
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O*NET relationships
See occupations connected to this ESCO occupation in the official O*NET–ESCO mapping. The relationship type comes from the source and is not a ranking or recommendation.
O*NET relationships: 2
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
51-6062.00
Exact relationship
The official mapping treats the O*NET and ESCO occupations as closely equivalent.
Open in O*NETCutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
51-9032.00
O*NET occupation is broader
The O*NET occupation covers a broader field of work than this ESCO occupation.
Open in O*NETSource and method
These relationships come from the official European Commission O*NET–ESCO crosswalk.
Relationship direction: O*NET occupation to ESCO occupation.
Several O*NET occupations can point to the same ESCO occupation, and one O*NET occupation can point to several ESCO occupations.
AltoTrail preserves the source relationship type. The order is technical and does not show which occupation is best, most relevant or recommended.
AltoTrail validates and presents the source relationships without adding ranking or recommendation semantics.
Alternative labels
leather goods machine operator
leather goods cutting technologist for linings and other materials
linings and other materials cutting operator
leather goods cutting attendant for linings and other materials
cutting machine tender
footwear machine tender
cutting operator
trimming machine operator
trimming machine tender
belts and handles cutting machine attendant
cutting operative
shoe cuting machine operator
belts & handles cutting machine operator
belts & handles cutting machine attendant
leather goods cutting machine tender
leather goods machine tender
footwear clicker
belts & handles cutting machine tender
trimming machine operative
leather goods machine cutting operator
boot and shoe clicker
sole cutter
bottoms cutting machine operator
leather goods cutting worker for linings and other materials
belts and handles cutting machine operator
machine cutting operator
leather goods cutting operator for linings and other materials
shoe cutting machine operator
belts cutting machine operator
cutting operator for footwear bottoms
trimming machine tendor
shoe clicker
belts and handles cutting machine tender
cutting operator for linings and other materials
handles cutting machine operator
sole trimmer
bottom stock manufacturing machine operator
leather goods cutting technician for linings and other materials
Occupation group
footwear production machine operator (8156.2)
Source facts
| ESCO URI | http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/16ad07cd-2fd2-4f93-b442-89918c10bbbf |
|---|---|
| ESCO code | 8156.2.1 |
| ISCO group | 8156 |
| Concept type | Occupation |