Data on the occupational profile of the apparel industry are available from the Labour Force Survey, but some caution is required:

• operative occupations represent the largest group in the workforce, accounting for around a third of total employment – 18,000  people in this category are sewing machinists and  clothing cutters
• one fifth of the workforce is made up of managers
• 1 in 10 are craft workers – tailors and dressmakers comprise 50% of this category  
• around 50% of associate professional/technical jobs are held by designers and garment technologists
• elementary occupations are divided between warehousing/distribution roles and those involved in the production process

Source: Skills Needs Assessment – apparel manufacturing 2005a

For information on occupational employment numbers and examples of key jobs see:

Occupational profile of the apparel manufacturing workforce, 2004