A Path Forward for America’s Economy

Trade and Investment

Secretary Pritzker Lays Out a Path Forward for American Competitiveness in Remarks to Minnesota Business Partnership - Secretary Pritzker discussed the key steps needed to expand our economy nationwide, spur growth for our businesses, and support the economic security of our workers, families, and communities.

Back-to-School Means More International Trade in Education - Did you know that the tuition and living expenses of foreign students make up an important services export?  In 2013 the total came to $27 billion in U.S. exports, roughly twice the amount of a decade ago.  The total number of international students has also grown steadily.

Collaboration and Awareness Key to Local Minority Business Success - Deputy Assistant Secretary Antwaun Griffin delivered keynote remarks at a luncheon hosted by the Mississippi Minority Business Alliance, Inc. to promote international trade and economic development in Mississippi. He provided information on business opportunities for individuals and businesses, including minority and women-owned companies, major corporations and institutions.

Innovation

The Countdown to Manufacturing Day -  On October 2, 2015, the fourth annual Manufacturing Day will simultaneously increase public awareness about what and where manufacturing is, provide some with a pathway toward a new career, and demonstrate manufacturing’s value to the United States’ economy.

Five Benefits of Embracing Sustainability and Green Manufacturing - Embracing sustainable and green principles is not just a trend. Cultivating sustainable and green practices helps organizations become more efficient, competitive and profitable.

The Economic Development Administration: Doing Our Part to Ensure Americans are Prepared to Work - Ensuring that American workers are trained with the skills they need to compete in the 21st century economy is a high priority for President Obama and the Administration, the Department of Commerce, and EDA. An example of that commitment was announced when the White House released a Progress Update on Job Driven Training and Apprenticeships, detailing the success of the Administration’s jobs-driven training efforts.

Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation Support Apprenticeship Return on Investment Study - The Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation will support a $450,000 effort to document the return on investment of registered apprentices for U.S. employers. Led by economists at Case Western Reserve University and the Department of Commerce, this study will offer valuable new data that can help interested employers understand how investing in apprenticeship can boost their bottom line and promote more widely shared prosperity.

Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship: A Path Forward in Supporting Entrepreneurs Domestically and Abroad - Following the success of PAGE thus far, the commitment to expand and continue support for entrepreneurs continues. Future endeavors of PAGE include working with Cuban entrepreneurs, inspiring STEM entrepreneurship through exposure to robots, working with entrepreneurs to develop successful business models that also serve a social purpose, and other planned initiatives.

Fire Fighting Research & Practice: From the Lab to the Street - The changing nature of fires and the equipment firefighters use mean it’s time for changes in firefighting techniques. Since passage of the Fire Prevention and Control Act in 1974, NIST has had a focused research program to understand fire behavior as a means to reduce losses.

Data

Expanding Small-Business Owners’ Access to Our Data with Census Business Builder - Census Bureau Director John H. Thompson writes that entrepreneurs across the country often ask for more Census Bureau data in an easier-to-use format. In response, the newly released Census Business Builder: Small Business Edition Web app provides them with easier access to more data. The new tool combines economic and demographic data in meaningful ways that are useful to the small-business owner.

Secretary Pritzker Announces First-Ever Study of Return on Investment of Registered Apprenticeships for U.S. Employers - Researchers will collect detailed information on the apprenticeship programs, associated costs and investments, and the apprentices’ performance and productivity to fill this critical gap in our understanding of U.S. apprenticeships.

New Web Features Highlight the U.S. Census Bureau’s International Data - Census Bureau Director John H. Thompson writes that the U.S. and World Population Clock is one of the most popular features on Census.gov. More than 2.4 million users a year access it to find national and world population estimates, as well as statistics on states and regions, age, sex and population density. Now, for the first time, basic population facts and visualizations are available for 228 countries and areas around the world, just as they are for U.S. states.

Health Insurance Coverage Measurement in Two Surveys - Next week, the U.S. Census Bureau is releasing two sources for health insurance statistics in the United States: the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey.

July 2015 wholesale inventories were $584.3 billion, down 0.1 percent from the revised June level but up 4.9 percent from July 2014.  Sales were $449.5 billion, down 0.3 percent from the revised June level and down 4.2 percent from July 2014.

Commerce Data in the News: A USA Today report cites Census Bureau statistics on commute-to-work times and modes of transportation to write that Washington, D.C., commuters waste more time in traffic than any other city, followed by Los Angeles and San Francisco, in the article 10 Cities With The Worst Traffic.

The New York Times cites Census Bureau statistics on educational attainment and workforce characteristics to write that blacks represent 11 percent of the workforce but only 6 percent of science, technology, engineering and mathematics workers in the article Silicon Valley, Seeking Diversity, Focuses on Blacks

Data Releases Next Week:  Quarterly Financial Report - Retail Trade: 2015 Q2 (Census); Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: August (Census); Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales: July (Census); International Transactions: 2015 Q2 (BEA); New Residential Construction: August (Census)

Environment

In Wake of Japan’s 2011 Tsunami, Citizen Scientists Comb California Beaches Counting Debris - To find out how much trash and other manmade debris was washing up, a small group of dedicated, volunteer “citizen scientists” to perform monthly surveys at four regular California beach sites.