Wilson Center Study Finds 5 Million U.S. Jobs Depend on Trade with Mexico
The Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute is pleased to announce the launch of a new essay, “Growing Together: How Trade with Mexico Impacts Employment in the United States,” written by Christopher Wilson, Deputy Director of the Mexico Institute. The United States and Mexico trade over a half-trillion dollars in goods and services each year, which amounts to more than a million dollars in bilateral commerce every minute.
WASHINGTON, DC – The impact of trade and globalization on the average American has become a core issue in this year’s elections. We have heard measured, well-founded and serious critiques on the handling of issues like currency manipulation and preparing our workforce for participation in the global economy, but the conversation has also drawn many passionate and visceral responses, highlighting the intensity with which citizens feel the impact of economic change.
Due to campaign rhetoric, Mexico has come to symbolize much of the U.S. encounter with globalization. Given that Mexico is the United States’ second largest export market, third largest overall trading partner, and the top country of origin for immigrants living in the country, this is understandable. Nonetheless, having become a top tier issue in the presidential elections, it is more important than ever that Americans have a clear and up-to-date understanding of Mexico and, in particular, the U.S.-Mexico economic relationship.
With that in mind, the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute is pleased to announce the launch of a new essay, “Growing Together: How Trade with Mexico Impacts Employment in the United States,” written by Christopher Wilson, Deputy Director of the Mexico Institute. The United States and Mexico trade over a half-trillion dollars in goods and services each year, which amounts to more than a million dollars in bilateral commerce every minute. With such a large volume of trade, it is not hard to believe that the number of jobs that depend on the bilateral relationship is similarly impressive.
New research by the Mexico Institute shows precisely that: nearly five million U.S. jobs depend on trade with Mexico. This essay analyzes the employment impact of bilateral trade on the U.S. economy.
For additional details and more findings, please visit the “Growing Together: Economic Ties between the United States and Mexico” project webpage.
Note to editors:
The Wilson Center provides a strictly nonpartisan space for the worlds of policymaking and scholarship to interact. By conducting relevant and timely research and promoting dialogue from all perspectives, it works to address the critical current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world.
Contributor
Mexico Institute
The Mexico Institute seeks to improve understanding, communication, and cooperation between Mexico and the United States by promoting original research, encouraging public discussion, and proposing policy options for enhancing the bilateral relationship. A binational Advisory Board, chaired by Luis Téllez and Earl Anthony Wayne, oversees the work of the Mexico Institute. Read more
