US Trade Rep: Small-Business Exports Could Be Higher
- WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- U.S. trade officials released a report Tuesday suggesting that many small and medium-size businesses may be losing out on opportunities to sell services and goods abroad. Exports accounted for 3.8% of gross domestic product of small and medium-sized companies in 2004, the report shows. That compares to 11.5% of GDP for big companies, defined as those with more than 500 employees. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, who requested the study from the U.S. International Trade Commission, said exports from small companies should be higher. He called small businesses the "low-hanging fruit" in the Obama administration's efforts to increase exports and spur job growth. "All of us here at USTR want America's small- and medium-sized businesses to be able to export more around the world and to hire more people here at home," Kirk said. The study, designed to provide a "snapshot" of the 250,000 small and medium-sized U.S. businesses that export goods, was released ahead of a conference of U.S. officials Thursday in Washington that will focus on policies to increase export opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses. -By Josh Mitchell, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6637; joshua.mitchell@dowjones.com Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http://www.djnewsplus.com/access/al?rnd=jOd8t240vlW1%2F9L7k%2BBK%2FQ%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.
