It’s time to dispel a myth. To paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumors of manufacturing’s demise are greatly exaggerated. In fact, manufacturing in America is not only alive, it’s thriving.

America’s manufacturing industry is expected to grow 6.2 percent this year, outpacing the overall economy. Last year, auto’s “big three” of Chrysler, General Motors and Ford gained market share for the first time since 1995. And this July, motor vehicle and parts manufacturing jumped 5.2 percent, a direct contributor to the increase in factory outputs of 0.6 percent that same month.

Better yet, this industrial growth has spurred job growth.

In the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area, more than 7,300 jobs have been created in construction, health care and other growing sectors — including manufacturing — keeping the Buffalo area unemployment rate significantly lower than the state and national averages. Still, there is more to do.

Nationally, this past July alone, manufacturers created 24,000 new jobs. Since December 2009, the manufacturing sector has created more than 289,000 jobs—more than 1 in 10 of all new jobs created during our recovery.

In all sorts of industries, manufacturers are making investments that hold great promise for American workers and our economy. And in this area, organizations like the Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Alliance are ensuring not only best practices, but new jobs.

Then, of course, there’s the ripple effect. For every new job created in the manufacturing sector, four to seven new jobs are created in the broader economy.

Meanwhile, entirely new industries are emerging within the green sector, adding to job creation across the country. The solar energy market in 2010 grew 67 percent in value to $6 billion, according to the National Solar Jobs Census. The industry has doubled its number of U. S. workers since 2009, and that growth is expected to continue. Fifty percent of solar energy firms expect to keep adding jobs next year, totaling an estimated 24,000 new jobs.

The thriving of the manufacturing industry also speaks volumes about American workers, who continue to reinvent themselves, in many cases through new education and training. The Labor Department has invested $500 million in 189 green jobs training programs — including grants to the Buffalo&Erie County Workforce Development Consortium — to make careers in solar, wind, biofuels and other clean energy sources available to Americans. Many companies are doing the same.

Do we still have work to do? Absolutely. But on this Labor Day weekend, I am proud to say that America is bouncing back as a manufacturing powerhouse. Far from its reputed demise, the manufacturing sector — critical for our economy and for creating new, sustainable careers—continues its healthy, inspiring reinvigoration.

Hilda L. Solis is the U. S. secretary of labor.