September 5, 2014
This week we welcomed all of our senior Commercial
Service staff from around the world to Washington, D.C. as part of our effort
to strengthen the economy through increased exports and to ensure that
exporting is part of the DNA of
America’s companies. In fact, two reports we released this week show that is
happening (link below). Since President
Obama launched the National Export Initiative, we know that 1.6 million more
Americans have export-supported jobs, bringing the total to 11.3 million
Americans who wake up every day and go to work in jobs supported by exports. And yet, we have much more work to do. In order to continue the momentum, Deputy
Secretary Andrews was in Cortland, New York today encouraging rural businesses to
become exporters to reach overseas markets where 95 percent of potential
customers live.
Around Commerce this week, Census has released their Statistics
in Schools curriculum which includes grade-appropriate classroom activities in
math and history, and many resources – such as maps, news articles, videos,
infographics, and games – for K-12 teachers to use. NOAA has a great success
story about cleaning up polluted waterways and a team at NIST was honored for
their great work on lifesaving smartphone apps for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Have a great weekend and remember to take full advantage
of the waning days of summer.
All the best,
Wendy
Commerce Department Reports Demonstrate that
Exports Continue to Help Spur U.S. Economy and Support Jobs - The Obama Administration and the
Department of Commerce released two new reports that further prove exports are
strengthening our economy and creating good jobs. For the first time, the
Commerce Department released data detailing the number of jobs supported by
goods exports in 2013 in each of the 50 states. A second report highlights the
level of goods exports achieved by each of the nation’s 387 Metropolitan
Statistical Areas in 2013.
Daring to Be Great in Supporting U.S.
Exporters - The
International Trade Administration’s Global Markets Global Meeting this week, brought
together ITA’s senior Commercial Service staff from the United States and
around the world to share best practices, learn about new opportunities, and
connect with the people who are making commerce happen. It’s been more than 10
years since the last meeting of this magnitude, and this week’s event will
enable ITA to better execute the mission and understand new methods to better
support clients.
Find Export Opportunities in the Automotive
Parts Industry! - In the
United States, auto parts manufacturers achieved $77.5 billion in exports in
2013, and more than a third of those exports – $26.6 billion – went to Mexico. As Mexico’s automotive exports continue to
grow, they will need more and more quality American-made parts fueling their
auto manufacturing supply chain, and the International Trade Administration
wants to help form connections between Mexico’s top producers and the most
high-quality suppliers in the United States.
Deputy
Secretary Andrews Highlights Efforts to Boost Rural Exports in Upstate New York
- Deputy Secretary Andrews highlighted efforts to boost rural exports in
upstate New York at a “Made in Rural America” forum at SUNY Cortland. In his
remarks, Deputy Secretary Andrews discussed Commerce Department work to ensure
small and medium-size businesses have the tools needed to begin or expand
exports and create good jobs.
Back
to School – Introducing the Statistics in Schools Program - Census Bureau
Director John Thompson writes that a lot of the Census Bureau’s work looks
toward the future — next year’s American Community Survey or the 2020 Census,
for example. One exciting forward-looking initiative is the Statistics in
Schools program. Research shows that jobs related to statistics are expected to
increase by more than 25 percent over the next decade, and this program is part
of an effort to help make sure students are prepared for them.
Department
of Commerce Invests Nearly $2 Million to Support Entrepreneurs and Startups in
South Carolina - Secretary Pritzker announced that the Department’s
Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.9 million investment
to the University of South Carolina/Columbia Technology Incubator. The grant
will support the building of a new startup center to serve as the regional hub
for the development of entrepreneurship, incubation, and acceleration programs
for early stage ventures across South Carolina. According to the grantee, the
investment is expected to create 698 jobs and generate $11.9 million in private
investment in the first five years of the project.
Department
of Commerce Announces $15 Million Grant Competition to Spur Regional Innovation
- Secretary Pritzker announced the launch of the Economic Development
Administration’s (EDA) $15 million 2014 Regional Innovation Strategies Program
competition to spur innovation capacity-building activities in regions across
the nation. Under this program, EDA is soliciting applications for three
separate funding opportunities, including: the i6 Challenge, Science and
Research Park Development grants, and cluster grants to support the development
of Seed Capital Funds.
Protect
Your Investment - September is National Preparedness Month. There are steps
you can take to safeguard your company and secure your physical assets.
NIST
Team Honored for Work on Military Smartphone Apps, Security - The Department
of Commerce's announced researchers at the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) have earned a 2014 GCN Award for Information Technology
Excellence for speeding development and delivery of secure,
battlefield-handy—and sometimes lifesaving—smartphone apps to U.S. troops in
Afghanistan.
Diving
for Debris: Washington’s Success Story in Fishing Nets out of the Ocean -
For over a decade, the Northwest Straits Foundation, supported by the NOAA
Marine Debris Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state
agencies, and many others, has been removing lost and abandoned fishing nets
from the inland ocean waters of Puget Sound. Lost during fishing operations,
the nets are now suspended in the water column or settled on the seafloor,
where they snare dozens of marine species, including marine birds and mammals,
and degrade the ocean habitat where they were lost.
The Economic and Statistics Administration wrote about the
Value
of Government Weather and Climate Data on their blog this week.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis wrote that the July
2014 Trade Gap is $40.5 Billion on their blog this week.
Construction
spending during July 2014 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual
rate of $981.3 billion, 1.8 percent above the revised June estimate of $963.7
billion. The July figure is 8.2 percent above the July 2013 estimate of $906.6
billion.
New orders for
manufactured goods in July, up five of the last six months, increased $53.1
billion or 10.5 percent to $558.3 billion. This was at the highest level since
the series was first published on a NAICS basis in 1992 and followed a 1.5
percent June increase. Excluding transportation, new orders decreased 0.8
percent.
The
nation’s international
trade balance in goods and services increased to -$40.5 billion in July
from -$40.8 billion in June (revised), as exports increased and imports
increased.
Commerce Data in the News: The Hill says, “Exports a driver of jobs, economic growth” based on the two Commerce Department
reports that says exports supported more than 11 million U.S. jobs last year.
The Charlotte Observer asks readers “has knowing the weather forecasts saved you money?” based on a
blog by ESA’s Jane Callen on “The Value of
Government Weather and Climate Data.”
The New York Times
cites immigration and population statistics from the Census Bureau to report
that more African-born immigrants came to the U.S. from 2000 to 2010 than the
number brought to American during the three centuries of slave trade in the
article Influx of African Immigrants Shifting
National and New York Demographics.
The data from BEA’s
latest consumer spending release are cited in a Wall Street Journal
article about prices and the Federal Reserve: Inflation
Pressure Eases, Letting Fed Focus on Jobs.
The BEA
and Census Bureau report on U.S. international trade in July was covered in a recent USA Today article:
July
trade deficit narrows to $40.5 billion.
USA Today cites
Census Bureau statistics on construction spending and manufacturing to report
that manufacturing activity picked up at the fastest pace in more than three
years, providing further evidence of an accelerating economy, in the article Manufacturing
Grows at Fastest Pace in 3½ Years.
The Washington Post
cites Survey of Construction statistics from the Census Bureau to write that in
1973, the median newly completed single-family house was 1,525 square feet; 40
years later, in 2013, it was 2,384 square feet ─ a record high ─ in the article
McMansions
Not Only Survive, They’re Getting Bigger.
Data Releases Next Week: Quarterly
Financial Report/Manufacturing, Mining and Wholesale Trade: 2014 Q2 (Census);
Monthly Wholesale Trade: July (Census); Quarterly Services: 2014 Q2 (Census);
Advance Monthly Retail Sales: August (Census); Manufacturing and Trade: Inventories and Sales: July (Census)
On Monday, Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Mark Doms
will lead a Data Roundtable at 1776 with start-ups in the Washington, D.C.,
area to discuss the Commerce data transformation efforts and solicit feedback
on future planning.
Also on Monday, MBDA National Director Alejandra Y.
Castillo will give remarks at the National Defense Industrial
Association/Aerospace Industries Association: Fall TRIAD Conference about the
minority business community and MBDA’s services.
On Tuesday, Under Secretary for International Trade
Stefan Selig , Assistant Secretary for Global Markets, Director General of the
U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service Arun Kumar and Deputy Director General for
the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service Judy Reinke will deliver keynote
addresses at ITA’s Discover Global Markets Detroit event. This forum will
include events to help U.S. firms win new business in the international
marketplace by helping them identify
emerging opportunities, leverage government resources and obtain the tools
necessary to succeed internationally, and make key contacts with industry
experts.
Also on Tuesday, Census Bureau Director John Thompson
will make opening remarks at the 2014 Local Employment
Dynamics Partnership Workshop at the Department of Commerce. The
workshop theme is “Open for Business – LED and Economic Development.”
Starting on Wednesday, NOAA is partnering with
Baltimore’s National Aquarium to host events during the Star-Spangled
Spectacular, celebrating maritime history and commemorating Maryland’s
contributions to the defense and heritage of the nation, including the birth of
the national anthem. The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer and another NOAA
research vessel will participate in the event and provide the backdrop to
highlight NOAA’s leadership across ocean issues.
On Wednesday, Angela Simpson, NTIA Deputy Administrator
and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, will travel
to Las Vegas for the CTIA – The Wireless Associations’ Super Mobility Week. She
will speak on a panel entitled “Spectrum, Spectrum, Spectrum: A Discussion of
Government’s Role In Freeing Up Airwaves to Fuel The Mobile Internet.”
On Thursday, Under Secretary for International Trade
Stefan Selig will address the quarterly meeting of the Advisory Committee on
Supply Chain Competitiveness (ACSCC) in Washington, DC. The ACSCC provides
guidance from supply chain stakeholders on trade, investment, and freight
movement issues.
Also on Thursday, Michael Molnar, Director of the
Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, will deliver keynote remarks at
the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago.
On Friday, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic
Development Matt Erskine will provide the keynote at the Virginia Innovation
Partnership (VIP) Virginia Ventures Forum, a convening of the University of
Virginia’s winning i6 Challenge team. It will be held at the USPTO campus in
Alexandra, VA. In addition, USPTO Deputy
Director Michelle Lee will speak.
Also on Friday, USPTO Deputy Director Michelle Lee will
speak at the Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s 2014 Awards and Installation
Gala in Washington, DC.
Additionally
on Friday, Under Secretary for International Trade Stefan Selig will give
keynote remarks at the Texas-Chihuahua-New Mexico Regional Economic
Competitiveness Forum in El Paso, Texas. His remarks will focus on the U.S.-Mexico
trade relationship and how our two governments are working together to resolve
border issues through the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue.
This week, Secretary Penny Pritzker and Deputy
Secretary Bruce Andrews greeted
some Commerce employees as they started their work day and thanked them for
their hard work.
U.S. Commercial Officer for Europe Carmine
D'Aloisio talks about
export potential in Europe.
Census
Flows Mapper Highlights Labor Force Characteristics of Movers Between Counties
─ The County-to-County Migration Flows Tables, which use data collected by the
American Community Survey between 2008 and 2012, show how many residents move
(flow) from one specific county to another during the course of a year.
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