Manufacturing Sector Adds Workers

Only a few days into the new year and already there's positive employment news.

IndustryWeek reports that in December the manufacturing sector showed its strongest pace of activity since April 2006. What's more, it's the fifth consecutive month of expansion.

Citing data from a survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), IndustryWeek indicates that new orders rose more than 5 percentage points last month and production increased by nearly 2 percent.

But perhaps most noteworthy is this quote from the article: "The employment sub-index meanwhile increased to 52 percent from 50.8 percent, suggesting the manufacturing sector is adding workers at a faster pace."

Jobless recovery? Perhaps not.

Findings from the ISM survey certainly suggest the emphasis will be on R&R this year—as in recruitment and retention.