As originally reported in the Wall Street Journal, manufacturing jobs are actually on the rise in the United States. This sector of employment is actually creating more jobs than it is cutting - which is welcome news to the thousands who are currently unemployed.

This is the first time in a decade there were more manufacturing jobs created in the US than "out sourced" or eliminated. It is estimated that there should be an increase in manufacturing jobs by about 2% per year, through 2015.

Major companies that we all know (and love) are at the forefront of this wave of hires. Whirlpool, Dow Chemical Co., and Caterpillar Inc. are just a few of the companies who will be building new plants or adding a significant amount of employees.

These jobs are all coming on as the economic recession is beginning to show signs of improvements. The fear is that if we slip back into the deep, dark waters of the economic depression that any of these gains might be lost.