Shoemaker
OFO Code: 683601
Last checked 3 October 2026
1. Occupation identity
- OFO code
- 683601
- Occupation
- Shoemaker
- Classification
- OFO 2021
- Major group
- SKILLED AGRICULTURAL, FORESTRY, FISHERY, CRAFT AND RELATED TRADES WORKERS
- Unit group
- 6836 · Shoemakers and Related Workers
Official description
Shoemakers and related workers make, modify and repair standard, custom or orthopaedic footwear and natural or synthetic leather articles, such as luggage, handbags and belts, (except for leather garments, hats and gloves), or participate in the manufacture of shoes and related goods. They decorate, reinforce or finish shoes, luggage, handbags and belts.
More official OFO detail
Specialisations: Medical Grade Shoemaker, Shoe / Boot Repairer, Handlacer, Footwear Repairer, Cobbler
- Attaching accessories or ornamentation to decorate or protect products
- Studying work orders and/or shoe part tags to obtain information about workloads, specifications, and the types of materials to be used
- Removing and examining shoes, shoe parts, and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels
- Taking plaster casts of deformed legs or foot to prepare drawings
- Making, modifying and repairing orthopaedic or therapeutic footwear according to doctors' prescriptions, or modifying existing footwear for people with foot problems and special needs
- Cutting out, shaping and padding parts for making leather articles
- Making and repairing articles such as saddles and harnesses for animals, luggage, handbags, brief-cases, leather bags, belts and other accessories
- Making, modifying and repairing standard footwear to meet individual requirements
- Repairing belts, luggage, purses and similar products
- Studying drawings and other specifications to make footwear according to customer’s needs
- Sewing rips or patching holes to repair articles, such as purses, belts, shoes, and luggage
- Preparing inserts, heel pads, and lifts from casts of customers' feet
2. Demand status
Demand evidence not yet linked
This is an official OFO 2021 occupation. Demand status is separate evidence and is not inferred from inclusion in the OFO.
A national demand signal is not a promise of a vacancy in your town.
3. Salary evidence
No sourced salary record has been ingested for this OFO code yet.
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5. Qualification
Qualification evidence pending.
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7. Industry, sector and provincial context
National occupation classification. Industry and provincial context are shown only where a separate official source supports the link.
No source-backed modern OFO↔SIC 7 industry link has been ingested for this occupation yet. PathLens does not infer one from the job title.
Browse the official South African industry classification →8. Next steps — official links
9. Decision tools
10. Sources for this page
- DHET Organising Framework for Occupations (OFO 2021) · Planned
- DHET Occupations in High Demand · Planned
- Critical Skills List · Planned
- QCTO qualifications and occupational certificates · Planned
- Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey · Planned
- SETA Sector Skills Plans / hard-to-fill vacancy tables · Planned