April 09--Illinois ranks fifth in the number of jobs supported by exports but the growth in number of those jobs has slowed, according to a report published Thursday.
The number of Illinois jobs supported by exports rose only slightly -- by 1.3 percent -- to 345,050, according to the report from the United States Trade Administration and the Commerce Department. That compares with a post-recession high of 374,162 export-related jobs in 2012.
In 2013, Illinois saw export-related jobs dip nearly 9 percent to 340,609. The decline most likely was because the state saw a drop in exports of machinery, particularly heavy equipment to Australia, said Mary Trupo, a senior adviser at the United States Trade Administration. This was partially offset by increases in other areas, mainly petroleum and coal products, agricultural products, and computer and electronic products, she said.
Texas and California topped the list of states with jobs supported by exports with 1.1 million and 775,320 jobs, respectively.
The report also found that the export of goods from Illinois grew 3 percent in 2014 to a record $68.2 billion, according to the report.
Overall, the state's export growth has mirrored that of the nation as a whole: double-digit growth from 2004 to 2008, reflecting the strong national and global economy; a drop in 2009 related to the global recession; double-digit growth again in 2010 and 2011 as the world economy recovered; and then slow growth since 2012 as the world economy slowed.
"State exports are always going to be more volatile than national exports," Trupo said. "But in the case of Illinois they are tracking fairly well and are likely influenced by the same factors."
Trade-supported jobs are important because they tend to pay more, said Trevor Kincaid, deputy assistant U.S. Trade Representative. "In fact, studies have shown that export-dependent jobs pay up to 18 percent more on average than nonexport jobs."
The United States is negotiating free trade deals with Asia and the European Union.
The report also listed Illinois' key agricultural exports, which include soybeans and feeds. The state's manufacturing exports included machinery, transportation equipment, chemicals, computer and electronic products and petroleum and coal products.
crshropshire@tribune.com
