WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama says this year's 18 percent rise in exports over last year underscores the importance of selling goods and services abroad to create jobs and strengthen the American economy.
Obama says the more that countries export, the more they produce and the more jobs they create. He says those jobs often pay wages 15 percent higher than average.
Obama has called for the U.S. to double its exports in the next five years. A government report says the U.S. can meet that goal by making small businesses aware of export opportunities, increasing trade missions abroad and promoting U.S. exports in emerging markets like Colombia and Turkey.
In 2008, exports accounted for close to 7 percent of U.S. total employment.
