March 13, 2015
A
new Commerce report released today shows how valuable data is to the U.S.
economy. It finds that over the past ten years, data jobs have grown 4 times
faster than the rest of the private sector, adding 1.8 million jobs and they
pay on average $40/hour, 68% more than the average private sector job.
This
week, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker traveled to Pakistan as part of the
Administration’s efforts to boost bilateral trade and investment between the
U.S. and Pakistan. The Secretary joined Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
in launching the first-ever U.S.-Pakistan Economic Partnership Week to
strengthen the commercial partnership between our nations. Today, Secretary
Pritzker is in Austin, Texas to engage with startups, business incubators, and
the broader South by Southwest (SXSW) technology community. During her trip,
she highlighted the U.S. Department of Commerce’s role as America’s innovation
agency which encourages entrepreneurship, and supports the digital economy.
While on stage in a plenary session, Secretary Pritzker swore in Michelle K.
Lee as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director
of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which made her the first woman to hold
this position in the more than 200 year history of the agency. Mashable called
this “an unprecedented move”; we agree and are very proud of Michelle and her
stellar work.
Around
Commerce, BEA released new set of data to demonstrate how the economic recovery
that began in the summer of 2009 is affecting America’s industries each
quarter; ITA’s Under Secretary Stefan Selig explained how important exports are
for job growth and the overall U.S. economy; and the U.S. Census Bureau
released key statistics in honor of Women’s History Month.
Have
a great weekend and thanks for doing all you can to keep America “Open for
Business”.
-Jim
Working
to Strengthen Economic Relationship, Secretary Pritzker Concludes Commercial
Diplomacy Trip to Pakistan- Secretary Pritzker visited Islamabad,
Pakistan since increased commercial engagement between nations can lead to more
effective solutions to global problems and a more peaceful, prosperous and
secure planet.
Statement
from U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker on the Confirmation of Michelle K.
Lee as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of
the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office- “Since taking the helm as
Acting Director of the USPTO last year, Michelle has worked to reduce the backlog
in patent applications, improve examination processes, and implement the
post-grant review programs created by the 2011 America Invents Act to improve
patent quality, making our patent system even stronger and easier to use.”
At
South by Southwest, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Highlights
Government's Efforts to Support Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Digital
Economy- Secretary Pritzker attended South by Southwest (SXSW), one of the
largest interactive conferences in the world where musicians, startups, artists
and others share ideas, create partnerships, and celebrate the importance of
creativity in the 21st century economy.
This
is Tunisia’s moment- Secretary Pritzker and former Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright write, “Creating opportunity for young people besieged by high
unemployment is a challenge that must be addressed head-on by governments in
the region. The United States will continue to serve as a partner in that
effort, through both our government and our private sector.”
Increased
Exports and the Jobs Supported by Exports Are Keys to Heightened Economic
Confidence- U.S. exports of goods and services tallied a record
$2.35 trillion in 2014. That was the fifth consecutive year we achieved record
exports. This is a clear validation of the Administration’s commitment to a
robust trade and investment agenda.
FY
2016 is a Critical Year for the Reengineered 2020 Census- Census
Bureau Director John Thompson writes that his agency is devoting substantial
resources in researching new methods and technologies to keep the 10-year
headcount quick, easy and secure and keeping costs down. His goal is to save up
to $5 billion in operating costs from the 2010 Census.
Investing
in Manufacturing Communities Partnership: Leveraging Strengths for a Stronger
Future- On June 23, 2014 Charles Shoopman, Assistant Vice President of UT
Institute for Public Service received a letter officially designating the
69-county, four-state DRIVE! for the Future region as one of the nation’s first
12 Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) communities.
Lab
to Market: When One Plus One Equals Three- In today’s global markets,
companies that don’t innovate generally don’t survive for long. To keep your
current customers and earn new ones, you must continually look for ways to be
faster, cheaper, better . . . or all three.
U.S.
Census Bureau Releases Key Statistics in Honor of Women's History Month- Every
year since 1987, Congress has passed a resolution for Women’s History Month,
and the President has issued a proclamation. Following are a few key statistics
on women in the United States and the role they play in our labor force and
economy.
How
trade stats can help US businesses expand abroad- International markets
provide an opportunity for U.S. businesses to increase sales and overall
competitiveness, but knowing how to get started and learning about foreign
markets can be daunting. The U.S. Census Bureau can help.
Lack of snow drives
Iditarod start 250 miles north- Alaska’s famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race traditionally starts in the
southern coastal city of Anchorage. However, the race kicked off in Fairbanks,
250 miles farther north, for the first time since 2003 and only the second time
in the history of the race.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis wrote BEA’s
Statistics on How Industries Perform Each Quarter Provide Insight into U.S.’
Economic Recovery on their blog this week.
January
2015 sales of merchant wholesalers were $433.7 billion, down 3.1
percent from last month. End-of-month inventories were $548.7 billion, up 0.3
percent from last month.
Advance
estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for February were
$437.0 billion, a decrease of 0.6 percent from the previous month, but up 1.7
percent above February 2014. Total sales for the December 2014 through February
2015 period were up 2.9 percent from the same period a year ago. The December
2014 to January 2015 percent change was unrevised from -0.8 percent.
Commerce
Data in the News:
The Wall Street Journal cites
Census Bureau statistics on fertility, marriage and living arrangements to
report that a quarter of births are to cohabiting couples in the article, U.S.
Sees Rise in Unmarried Parents: Sociologists Fret That More Children Risk
Losing out on the Economic Benefits of Living in Married Households.
U.S. News & World Report cites
Census Bureau statistics on income, employment, migration and homeownership to
write that one of the fastest ways to improve your retirement finances is to
relocate to a place
with more affordable housing and a lower overall cost of living in the
article 50 Affordable Places to Buy a Retirement
Home: Your Retirement Savings Will Last Longer in These Low-Cost Retirement
Spots.
The
Under
Secretary Selig Announces International Visitation Sets New Record in 2014
press release and data within was mentioned in the Washington Times article U.S. visited by more foreigners than ever:
Report.
The
Department
of Commerce Announces Twenty-Six States Achieved Record Export Levels in 2014
press release and data within was mentioned in the NW Times article Indiana
shipped out a record $35.5 billion in exports last year, up from $34.2 billion
in 2013.
Data Releases Next
Week: New Residential Construction: February
2015 (Census); International Transactions: 2014 Q4 (BEA)
On Sunday, Deputy Secretary Bruce Andrews will announce the
Final Action Plan for the President’s Task Force to Combat Illegal, Unregulated
and Unreported Fishing and Seafood Fraud at the Seafood Expo North America in
Boston, MA.
Starting
Monday, Industry and Analysis Deputy Assistant Secretary for Services Ted Dean
will lead an Education Trade Mission to El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
The mission will include student fairs organized by EducationUSA, embassy
briefings, site visits, and networking events.
Also
on Monday, Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Mark Doms will participate in a
SXSW data governance panel, “Bridging the Federal & State Data
Divide,” with Former Texas State Comptroller for Public Accounts Susan Combs in
Austin, TX.
On Wednesday, USPTO Director Michelle Lee will speak at
Managing Intellectual Property’s U.S. Patent Forum, which takes an in-depth
look at the most recent development in IP litigation, forum shopping,
licensing, patent-filing and IP monetization around the world.
Additionally on Wednesday, Executive Director of
SelectUSA Vinai Thummalapally will open the Turkic American Convention with a
keynote speech to promote SelectUSA and welcome business investment in the
United States.
On Thursday, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and
Security Eric Hirschhorn and Assistant Secretary Kevin Wolf will participate in
the quarterly meeting of the President’s Export Council Subcommittee on Export
Administration (PECSEA).
Secretary
Pritzker and Michelle Lee made history on stage at South by Southwest. The
Secretary gave the oath of office to Michelle Lee as she is sworn in as Under Secretary of Commerce for
Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Lee
is the first woman to head the agency in more than its 200 year history.
Bonus
Photo of the Week
Secretary
Pritzker opening the Business Opportunities Conference for the
first-ever U.S.-Pakistan Economic Partnership Week in Islamabad, Pakistan.
2017 Economic
Census Infographic: Invest Now to Measure Our Dynamic Economy- While
state and local information from the 2012 Economic Census is being released,
the U.S. Census Bureau is working on improvements to be incorporated into
the 2017 Economic Census. The economic census provides a picture of the
U.S. economy every five years, enabling policymakers and businesses to make
data-driven decisions. A new infographic highlights the importance of
research for improved content and to support instrument development for an
all-electronic response- areas considered essential for a timely and relevant
economic census. This infographic presents goals and innovations, as
well as a timeline.
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