Clothing Pressers may:

Spread articles on padded tables of pressing machines

Operate machines to remove wrinkles, flatten seams, shape, and restore appearance of articles

Operate two machines at the same time placing an article on one press while another article is being steamed on a second press

Finish already pressed articles, using hand or puff irons

Iron articles by hand

Tools and equipment used may include:

• Pressing machines

• Hand irons

Most Clothing Pressers usually work with and around others in well lighted and sanitary plants. Because of the heat and steam used in the pressing process, the work area is usually warm and humid in spite of the ventilation. Work space is frequently limited. Workers are exposed to machine noise. New machinery has been designated to operate with a minimum amount of noise. Hazards are burns from presses or steam.

The average work week is 35-40 hours. Some of the larger businesses may operate on a shift basis. Clothing Pressers may be required to work overtime when work loads are heavy. Work is steady year-round with busy periods occurring during the spring and fall months.

While many Clothing Pressers are not unionized, some become members of The Laundry, Dry Cleaning, and Dye House Workers International Union or The Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees. Members of unions must pay dues.

You Should Prefer:

• Working with things and objects

• Performing activities of a routine, definite, organized nature

• Working with machines, processes, and methods

You Should Be Able To:

• Meet set standards of accuracy

• Work quickly in an organized manner

• Adjust to routine, repetitive work

• Pay attention to detail

Math Problem You Should Be Able to Solve:

If the cost is $5.79 to have a shirt pressed and a customer brings in 10 shirts with a coupon for 20% off 5 of the shirts, what is the price of the pressing job?

Reading Example You Should Be Able to Read and Comprehend:

Clothing labels and various types of materials such as satin, crepe, rayon gabardine, silk brocade, silk shantung, faille, taffeta, chintz, damask, batiks.

Writing Example You Should Be Able to Produce:

Prepare an invoice for a pressing job.

Thinking Skill You Should Be Able to Demonstrate:

Organizational skills and be detail oriented in sorting and pressing clothing.

NOTE: On-The-Job Training provided by the employer or a High School Diploma or Equivalent may qualify a person for this occupation.

The following education and preparation opportunities are helpful in preparing for occupations in the MOIScript:

***SCHOOL SUBJECTS***

0700 CAREERS , 0900 COMMUNICATIONS , 1400 FASHION

***VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS***

There are no Vocational Education Programs related to this MOIScript

***POSTSECONDARY PROGRAMS***

There are no Postsecondary Programs related to this MOIScript  

Part-time work is sometimes available in laundry and dry cleaning plants.

                School-to-Work opportunities include:

informal apprenticeships

mentorships

job shadowing experiences

touring a local Clothing Presser employer

internships

volunteer work with a Clothing Presser employer

community service work with an agency

Most Clothing Pressers acquire their jobs through direct application to employers. Openings may be found by consulting local unions representing Clothing Pressers and local offices of Michigan Works!. Newspaper want ads also list openings. In addition, you should access and search the Internet's on-line employment services sites such as:  

Nationally, the average hourly wage rate for non-supervisory workers in the laundry and dry cleaning industry was $8.60 in early 1998.

The median weekly earnings of all Pressing Machine Operators were $276 per week or $6.90 per hour (1998). Generally, Machine Pressers had the highest earnings.

In the Detroit area, the hourly earnings (1999) of Clothing Pressers in laundry and dry cleaning plants were:

Shirt and garment Pressers working for unionized hotels in the Detroit area earned about $8.27 per hour in mid 1999. Flatwork attendants earned $7.65 per hour.

Clothing Pressers in other areas of the state usually earn less than those in the Detroit area.

Clothing Pressers may receive paid vacations and holidays, hospitalization insurance, and pensions.

Opportunities for advancement are limited. Some workers may advance to positions as supervisors.

About 91,900 Clothing Pressers were employed nationally in 1996. Employment of Clothing Pressers is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations through the year 2006. Increasing automation in the dry cleaning and laundry industry and development of less-expensive, small-scale equipment will combine to limit employment growth in this occupation. The industry distribution for Clothing Pressers looked like this:

There are about 2,125 Clothing Pressers employed in Michigan. They were employed in laundry and dry cleaning plants, apparel manufacturing firms, hospitals, and hotels. Approximately 83% worked in urban areas.

Employment of Clothing Pressers in Michigan is expected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005. An average of 60 annual Presser openings is expected, with 20 openings due to growth and 40 due to replacement of those who retire or leave the labor force for other reasons. Many additional openings will occur as workers change jobs or occupations. The introduction of new technology is causing the occupational distribution within the laundry and dry cleaning industry to change. The percentage of jobs involving direct labor, such as Machine Pressers and Shirt Pressers has been decreasing. Laborsaving machinery and better methods of cleaning and finishing will enable fewer workers to do more work.

A boost in the sale of launder and dry cleanable items, especially wool and silk, may increase the demand for laundry and dry cleaning services. In addition, the increasing cost of clothing may prompt more people to dry clean it in an effort to preserve it longer.

MICHIGAN'S EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK TO 2005

Printed Occupational information is available upon written request from the sources below.