Last year California exported about $313 billion worth of goods and services, contributing to multiple areas of the state’s economy. Senior Advisor for International Affairs and Trade in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, Bud Colligan talked about the impact trade has on California’s job market at a recent meeting of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture.
“The trade-supported jobs in California are rising. They were 11 percent of our California economy in 1992 and today they’re over 20 percent,” said Colligan. “Trade supports California ag of course. Over 200,000 jobs; 70 percent of those are in California ag rural communities.”
During his presentation Colligan also pointed out how valuable the jobs created through trade are. “Firms that are importing or exporting pay their workers more, about 30 percent more than firms that do not,” Colligan noted.
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