Area companies are hiring seasonal workers for the holiday rush that will send cheese from Monroe, dolls from Middleton, fleece-lined jackets from Dodgeville and rugged work clothes from Belleville.

And while 13 percent of wholesale and retail employers told Manpower in September they would hire fewer workers this quarter, staffing levels at Swiss Colony, American Girl and Lands' End will be flat compared to last year. An official with Duluth Trading Co. said the Belleville firm has filled 350 holiday positions compared with 300 last year.

"We just want to be ready for what could be upwards of 350,000 orders in November and December, but consolidated between Thanksgiving and Dec. 19," said Suzanne Harms, Duluth's director of marketing. "This year, even in an off-economy, we're still doing well."

Nationwide, Internet merchants may offer the best chance for a job this holiday season, according to outplacement consultant firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas in Chicago.

With consumer credit tight and retailers' costs on the rise, most merchants are going to be reluctant to add staff, the firm said in a September report. Holiday hiring, overall, could be the weakest since 2001, it said.

But online shopping has been strong. Last year's 19 percent increase, to $29 billion, could see a repeat this year.

"I do think that's a long-term trend," John A. Challenger, chief executive of the global consultant group, said in a telephone interview.

"Even though the price of gas has come down, it's easier to shop online," Challenger said. "In fact, the recession could be a catalyst for people who want to save on gas and shop more carefully for bargains (on the Internet)." He offered no projections, though, for any employment increase.

Duluth, which hired 240 people in the fall of 2006, is known for its work clothes, gadgets and accessories. This year, the company is adding another catalog, which arrives in homes around Dec. 8.

The company began holiday hiring in August to fill 175 positions in the call center and 175 in the warehouse. Positions pay $9.25 per hour, with forklift operators getting $10.25 per hour.

"Our goal with seasonal employees is to get them comfortable and knowledgeable quickly," Harms said.

Down Highway 69 in Monroe, John Baumann, president of Swiss Colony, said about 60 to 70 percent of the 5,000 temporary positions have been filled. They include jobs in fulfillment, bakery and customer service in Monroe, Madison and Dickeyville, which is in southern Grant County.

About 80 percent of those seasonal hires have worked for the company before. "That's very important to us," Baumann said. "We've been very fortunate that we get very good repeat hires from year to year."

Swiss Colony sells not only cheese, sausage and fruit baskets but over the years has diversified into other gifts and clothing. About 60 percent of the company's sales are tallied between late August to Christmas.

"We are cautiously hopeful," Baumann said when asked about holiday sales in a weakened economy. "We're watching it very closely right now. We're looking OK, but so much can happen."

Manpower, based in Milwaukee, said that in this quarter, the U.S. labor market is expected to lose more momentum as employers predicted in September they would hire at the slowest pace in five years.

"Waning consumer confidence is also contributing to weaker demand by employers in the wholesale/retail sector where hiring expectations are at a 17-year low," said Jeffrey Jorres, chairman and chief executive officer of Manpower. "This weaker employer confidence is particularly alarming, as it could indicate a less than merry Christmas for job seekers."

At Lands' End in Dodgeville, hiring for 2,000 temporary positions is continuing. About half of the jobs, which pay up to $11.35 per hour, are for positions in Dodgeville with the remaining hires for customer service and warehouse work in Reedsburg and Stevens Point.

The company, which has about 5,000 employees in Wisconsin, is not increasing its work force compared to the previous holiday season, said spokeswoman Michele Casper.

About 55 percent are repeat hires, some of whom have worked the holiday season for 15 to 20 years. For its seasonal hires in Dodgeville, the company is also running a shuttle bus for UW-Platteville students who are hired for evening jobs. All employees are eligible for health and dental coverage, life insurance, child care and employee discounts on merchandise.

"We have an amazing base of seasonal employees," Casper said. "It's a great benefit for us. They are comfortable with Lands' End and understand the service level."

Seasonal hiring at American Girl, based in Middleton, is also flat this year when compared to 2007.

About 1,100 are being hired for positions in Middleton and at the DeForest distribution center with another 300 being hired for its warehouse facility in Wilmot in southern Kenosha County.

With the "Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl" movie being released on DVD today and new stores opening in the next few weeks at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., and another in Boston, the company is optimistic about holiday season sales.

"It's critical we do well," said spokeswoman Julie Parks. "Well over half of our business is in the fourth quarter."

State Journal reporter Judy Newman contributed to this story.