Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers build coordination, judgment and decision making and social perceptiveness 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 Furniture Finishers (85%).
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 | Furniture Finishers | 85% | $44,540 | +18% | None |
| 2 | Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic | 83% | $46,170 | +22% | None |
| 3 | Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers | 78% | $41,600 | +10% | None |
| 4 | Tire Builders | 77% | $57,390 | +52% | None |
| 5 | Carpet Installers | 77% | $50,340 | +33% | None |
| 6 | Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing | 76% | $46,170Pay for the broader BLS group “Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic” | Not compared | None |
| 7 | Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers | 76% | $52,540 | +39% | Certificate or associate |
| 8 | Fiberglass Laminators and Fabricators | 76% | $46,880 | +24% | None |
| 9 | Etchers and Engravers | 74% | $43,310 | +15% | None |
| 10 | Cutters and Trimmers, Hand | 74% | $38,020 | +1% | None |
Compared with Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers, median $37,800. 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 shoe and leather workers and repairers (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.
85% skill match · $44,540 · +18% pay
Repairing · Equipment Maintenance · Systems Evaluation
83% skill match · $46,170 · +22% pay
Operation and Control · Repairing · Equipment Maintenance
78% skill match · $41,600 · +10% pay
Systems Evaluation
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Furniture Finishers (85% skill match, median $44,540), Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic (83% skill match, median $46,170) and Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers (78% skill match, median $41,600), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 22 pay more than shoe and leather workers and repairers at the median. The biggest increases: Insulation Workers, Mechanical (+54%, $58,340), Plasterers and Stucco Masons (+53%, $57,660) and Tire Builders (+52%, $57,390).
24 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.