U.S. firms created 1.4 million jobs abroad in 2010, compared to less than 1 million at home.

NEW YORK - December 28, 2010 - Corporate profits are up. Stock prices are up. So why isn't anyone hiring?

Actually, many Amerikan companies are - just maybe not in your town. They're hiring overseas, where sales are surging and the pipeline of orders is fat.

More than half of the 15,000 people that Caterpillar, Inc. has hired this year were outside the U.S. UPS is also hiring at a faster clip overseas. For both companies, sales in international markets are growing at least twice as fast as domestically.

The trend helps explain why unemployment remains high in the United States, edging up to 9.8% last month, even though companies are performing well: All but 4% of the top 500 U.S. corporations reported profits this year, and the stock market is close to its highest point since the 2008 financial meltdown.