Additional opportunities exist in management and clerical occupations.
Many workers enter the textile industry as machine setters and operators , the largest occupational group in the industry. They are responsible for setting each machine and monitoring its operation. Usually, operators work with one type of less complex machine, but they can advance to jobs operating more sophisticated machinery or several machines simultaneously. For example, experienced operators may work with machinery that processes raw cotton, spins fibers into thread, or weaves fabric. Additionally, they must diagnose problems when the machinery stops and restart it as soon as possible, to reduce costly machine idle time.