The U.S. January jobs report was surprisingly strong, adding 467,000 positions. In addition to the “Great Resignation” phenomenon, it was expected that jobs numbers would be more in the 150,000 range. In addition, average wages rose 5.7%. This has led some pundits describing the trend as “The Great Upgrade”—many employees leaving existing jobs not to stay home, but rather to find jobs with higher pay and a better work/life balance.

But the job growth is not equal across all industry segments. And many in the textiles and apparel industry still struggle to find enough workers. There is a lack of skilled workers in North America due to the outsourcing to Asia and other parts of the world that began in the 1970s.

Now, with new technology in place and increased pressure on the industry due to sustainability and supply chain issues, brands have become more interested in reshoring at least some of the production.