Anne Maxfield, president of Project Solvers, an employment resource firm for the apparel industry, observed that jobs may be in greater supply than optimism within the apparel industry.

"In some areas, there are more jobs than qualified candidates," she said. "Then there are certain key areas where it is a really tight labor market. Right now, technical designers are in demand. When J. Crew announced layoffs recently, not one of them was technical designer. Generally, the more specialized the individual is, the easier it is for them to find a job."

According to Maxfield, there are "tons and tons" of jobs for children's wear designers. She expects that the women's market to remain stable, but noted that there could be a pickup because companies are "starting to develop real active sportswear" divisions.

Generally, salaries have been nudged up because of the need for qualified workers. "In the garment industry, no one wants to pay for anything. Companies are starting to take a deep breath and paying for what they really need. Many firms have lived for the last six months with big holes in their head counts and are realizing that certain divisions are understaffed."

The trend, said Maxfield, has been and continues to be the increased use of freelancers to ensure an accurate match between an applicant's skills and the job's requirements before the employer makes a full-time hiring commitment.

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