WASHINGTON -- The U.S. needs to stimulate exports of machinery and other manufactured goods as part of a larger effort to regain factory jobs lost in this recession, says John Engler, president of the National Association of Manufacturers.
Calculations by the nation's largest manufacturing trade group show the U.S. ranks last among the world's 15 largest manufacturers in terms of "export intensity." Rather than measuring raw export numbers, export intensity gauges the proportion of the nation's manufacturing production that is exported.
Export powerhouses Germany and Taiwan top the list. But others, including Brazil, Turkey and Spain, also exceed the U.S. in terms of the proportion of their goods that are exported.
"If we could simply get exports up to the world average -- which is a little more than two times where it is -- we could eliminate the trade deficit," says Mr. Engler. The NAM favors a variety of measures, including tax relief and other support for domestic production, such as greater federal support for export promotion.
Exports are increasingly important for U.S. producers: In the past, the U.S. market was considered so large and vibrant than many producers didn't have to spend the money to develop foreign customers. But as the U.S. and other countries come out of recession, more producers are looking globally for growth opportunities.
Mr. Engler said other areas which should benefit U.S. manufacturers in coming months are spending on infrastructure -- which creates demand for everything from bulldozers to I-beams -- and investments in expanding energy production and distribution systems.
Write to Timothy Aeppel at timothy.aeppel@wsj.com
