U.S. Department of Commerce data released yesterday indicates Missouri exports supported an increased number of jobs in 2014 compared to prior years.
Last year, Show-Me State exports backed 86,602 jobs, an 11.4 percent increase from 2009, according to a news release. In 2014, Missouri exported $14.1 billion worth of goods, a 9 percent increase over 2013 and its second-highest year on record, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives.
“Missouri companies of all sizes are exploring the benefits of exporting and introducing their world-class products to the 95 percent of consumers living outside U.S. borders,” said Stefan Selig, under secretary of commerce for international trade, in the release. “The Department of Commerce is dedicated to helping these firms expand their exports while strengthening our economy and supporting jobs in communities across Missouri and our nation.”
In Missouri, leading exported goods included transportation equipment, chemicals, processed foods, machinery and electrical equipment. The leading buyers from the state were Canada, Mexico, China, Japan and South Korea.
The Show-Me State has relationships with 20 countries that have free trade agreements with the U.S. Around $8.4 billion, or 59 percent, of Missouri’s 2014 exports went to free trade partners, and for the years 2005-14, exports to these markets grew 29 percent. Department officials are calling on trade promotion authority legislation to create additional free trade agreements, according to the release.
The Commerce Department reported in February U.S. exports supported 7.1 million jobs across the country in 2014.[[In-content Ad]]
