Trade in Services

Services represent the fastest growing sector of the global economy and account for one third of global employment and nearly 20 percent of global trade. The United States leads the world as a service exporter and U.S. prosperity is closely tied to the global economy. At the same time, a hotly contested public debate continues among policymakers, the media, and the public, over the U.S. employment impacts due to international trade and global sourcing in services. Unfortunately, the debate has been based on little concrete data about the actual number of jobs affected.

NBR publications and expert briefings have called attention to the role of services as the fastest growing sector of the global economy, and the need to address the lack of concrete data about job creation related to services trade. Recent publications include: