Before the Industrial Revolution and the jobs that were created by factories and technological advancements, what did people do for work? In cities like New York, London, and Paris were there enough jobs to go around? Did everyone have a trade or special skill? Did people work seasonly for short periods of time?
Basically, what did people do in their day to day life and how did the economy function when there was less industry?
Think about it. If there were no "factories" the way we know them, there was still industry going on. People just did it more by hand, although some still used an assembly line type idea. Skilled craftsmen and their apprentices made things. It was even more labor intensive in most cases than later methods of manufacturing.
Craftsmen made all kinds of stuff. Furniture, silverware, glassware, ships, textiles, etc.