Cutters and Trimmers build time management, social perceptiveness and judgment and decision making skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Sewing Machine Operators (84%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sewing Machine Operators | 84% | $36,670 | −4% | None |
| 2 | Machine Feeders and Offbearers | 78% | $41,220 | +8% | None |
| 3 | Packers and Packagers, Hand | 76% | $36,280 | −5% | None |
| 4 | Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood | 74% | $42,770 | +12% | None |
| 5 | Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 73% | $35,730 | −6% | None |
| 6 | Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers | 72% | $34,890 | −8% | None |
| 7 | Foundry Mold and Coremakers | 72% | $48,110 | +27% | None |
| 8 | Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | 71% | $53,750 | +41% | None |
| 9 | Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers | 70% | $48,220 | +27% | None |
| 10 | Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators | 70% | $46,880 | +23% | None |
Compared with Cutters and Trimmers, Hand, median $38,020. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as cutters and trimmers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
84% skill match · $36,670 · −4% pay
Equipment Maintenance · Repairing · Management of Financial Resources
78% skill match · $41,220 · +8% pay
Operations Monitoring · Equipment Maintenance · Repairing
76% skill match · $36,280 · −5% pay
Equipment Selection · Programming · Coordination
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Sewing Machine Operators (84% skill match, median $36,670), Machine Feeders and Offbearers (78% skill match, median $41,220) and Packers and Packagers, Hand (76% skill match, median $36,280), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 20 pay more than cutters and trimmers at the median. The biggest increases: Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators (+54%, $58,470), Insulation Workers, Mechanical (+53%, $58,340) and Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles (+49%, $56,460).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.