Places of Employment: About 69,000 bookbinders and bindery workers were employed [in the United States] in 1978. Many worked in shops that specialize in bookbinding; others work in the bindery departments of book printing firms, commercial printing plants, and large libraries. Some bookbinders worked for the Federal Government. Although bookbinders work in all parts of the country, employment is concentrated in large printing centers such as New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. […] Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement: A 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, which includes on-the-job training as well as related classroom instruction, generally is required to qualify as a skilled bookbinder. Apprenticeship applicants usually must have a high school education, mechanical aptitude, and be at least 18 years of age. […] Employment Outlook: Employment of bookbinders and bindery workers is expected to increase more slowly than the average for all occupations through the 1980's. Nevertheless, some job openings will arise as experienced workers retire, die, or change occupations. Despite the anticipated increase in the amount of bound printed materials, employment growth will be limited by the increasing mechanization of bindery operations. Job opportunities are expected to be better for skilled bookbinders than for bindery workers since many tasks that bindery workers used [to] perform by hand will be done by machine.
Source: wiktionary