Exports to Canada means 1.7 million U.S. Jobs

Excerpt from the Official International Trade Administration Blog | By: Isabel Sackner-Bernstein  | July 8, 2014

 

Chart schows that NAFTA supports 25 percent of US export related jobs. Asia and Pacific supports 28%, EU supports 22%, Latin America without Mexico supports 10%. Middle East and Africa 6%, other destinations 9%.

What is an export to Canada actually worth?

We know that Canada has always been an important trade partner with the United States, and we know that total exports to Canada were more than $360 billion in 2013, but new data released from the International Trade Administration (ITA) now give more insight into the value of U.S. exports by destination than just dollar amounts.

What are exports to Canada worth? How about nearly 1.7 million U.S. jobs?

New data from ITA show exports to Canada supporting more jobs than any other U.S. export market, with Mexico as a close second at about 1.1 million. Other top destinations were China, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

The exports to these countries alone supported nearly 4.8 million U.S. jobs last year, which is almost as much as the entire populations of Chicago and Houston combined.

Here are some more quick facts we learned from this new data that you can impress your friends with:

  • U.S. exports set a record for a fourth consecutive year in 2013, reaching $2.3 trillion;
  • Exports to the Asia-Pacific region supported 3.2 million jobs, or 28 percent of all export-related jobs;
  • Canada was the top destination for U.S. exports in 2013, and nearly 1.7 million U.S. jobs were supported by these exports, and;
  • Although they beat us in the World Cup, goods exports to Belgium supported nearly 140,000 U.S. jobs.

Want to learn more? Check out the full report online.

So now that you’re the most well-informed member of your friend group, spread the word about how exporting is growing our economy. Talk to your local U.S. Export Assistance Center to find out how to make your business go global.