The NPCs you come across in Minecraft have a lot of mechanics behind them, especially when it comes to what profession they associate with. In this guide, I’ll be going over everything you need to know about how to change villager jobs in Minecraft.
How to Change Villager Jobs in Minecraft
- List of Villager Jobs
- How to Change a Villager’s Job Type
- How to Change a Nitwit’s Job
- How to Change a Wandering Trader’s Job
The Complete List of Villager Jobs
There are 15 types of villager jobs. In the table below, I’ve listed each one in addition to their job site block (if they have one) and what visual aspect helps them stand out.
| Job/Profession | Job Site Block | Unique Visual |
| Nitwit | N/A | Green Robes |
| Unemployed | N/A | Plain and Basic Clothing |
| Armorer | Blast Furnace | Welding Mask and Iron Pauldrons |
| Butcher | Smoker | Red Headband and White Apron |
| Cartographer | Cartography Table | Gold Monocle |
| Cleric | Brewing Stand | Purple Cloak |
| Farmer | Composter | Straw Hat |
| Fisherman | Barrel | Short Brown Hat and Brown Apron with a Fish Hanging on It |
| Fletcher | Fletching Table | Brown Hat with White Feather |
| Leatherworker | Cauldron | Brown Apron and Gloves |
| Librarian | Lectern | Red Book Hat and Eyeglasses |
| Mason/Stone Mason | Stonecutter | Black Apron and Gloves |
| Shepherd | Loom | Small Brown Cap and White Apron |
| Toolsmith | Smithing Table | Dark Brown Apron |
| Weaponsmith | Grindstone | Dark Brown Apron, Black Gloves, and an Eyepatch |
Related: All Minecraft Villager Jobs Explained and Detailed
How to Change a Villager’s Job Type
The trick to changing villager jobs is to give them a new job site block. Every villager is limited to having one job at a time and aside from the Nitwit and Unemployed professions, each also comes with an associated job site block. Destroying the block will turn them into an Unemployed villager.
They might get angry with you for doing this, but after a while, they’ll seek out a new block if there’s any nearby. If there’s one that hasn’t been claimed yet, they’ll head over and interact with it to take on a new job.
One caveat to keep in mind is whether they’ve been traded before. If I destroy a Librarian’s Lectern and have never bought or sold items with him, he’ll be annoyed with me but will eventually go searching for any free job site block. If I had traded with him previously though, he’d only search for a Lectern to become a Librarian again. The first purchase or sale they make will essentially lock them into that job role.
How to Change a Nitwit’s Job
The only method that works to change a villager’s Nitwit job is if you cure them as a zombie in the Bedrock Edition. This can be from curing a random zombie villager that already happens to have the Nitwit role, or from introducing one of your green-robed friends to a zombie and then curing them after they’ve turned. Once they’re back to normal, they’ll have an unemployed profession and can be led to a job site block.
It’s worth highlighting that this does not work in the Java Edition. Any Nitwit zombie villagers will remain in that role once they’ve been cured. This is because their job is essentially being the village idiot, hence the name. They’re not meant to take on a different job and it’s only through a very specific process in the Bedrock Edition that it can be accomplished.
How to Change a Wandering Trader’s Job
When it comes to Wandering Trader NPCs, there’s no way to change their job. This is because they’re not attached to a village, use a slightly different trading system than villagers, and more importantly don’t have a job site block. Although there are similarities and among the other villagers I’d say they’re only a bit overdressed, they are considered separate mobs.
You now know all there is about how to change villager jobs in Minecraft. Whether it’s for the base game or for the many popular mods out there, you can find more tips and tricks at our Minecraft guides hub.
