Commerce at a Glance: September 30, 2021

The Latest News

Department of Commerce Kicks Off New Job Quality Initiative to Help Ensure that Economic Recovery is Built on Quality Jobs

Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Deputy Secretary Don Graves hosted the convening of national experts to officially launch the Department of Commerce’s new Job Quality Initiative. The initiative is aimed at ultimately helping American employers become more competitive by providing their workers with high quality jobs.

U.S.-EU Establish Common Principles to Update the Rules for the 21st Century Economy at Inaugural Trade and Technology Council Meeting

Launched by President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Charles Michel at the U.S.-EU Summit in June 2021, the Trade and Technology Council held its inaugural meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 29, 2021. U.S. Co-Chairs, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai, were joined by EU Co-Chairs European Commission Executive Vice Presidents Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis to establish common principles to update the rules of the road for a 21st century economy and deliver for our people.

Commerce Secretary Raimondo Stresses America’s Road to Recovery Runs Through Nation’s Minority Business Community at Annual MED Week Conference

On Monday, September 20, 2021, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo opened the Minority Business Development Agency’s (MBDA) annual National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week conference. In her remarks, she stressed that minority business enterprises (MBE’s) are the engine of the American economy and that America’s Road to recovery runs through the Nation’s minority business community.

Deputy Secretary Graves Underscores Importance of Public, Private Sectors in Combating Climate Change During Trip to Poland

Between September 20-24, Deputy Secretary Don Graves joined Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm for the re-launch of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC) Ministerial and Business Forum, an international platform that provides policymakers and civil society stakeholders across 22 European countries with resources and tools to build secure, resilient, climate-conscious energy systems.

U.S. Department of Commerce Announces Section 232 Investigation into the Effect of Imports of Neodymium Magnets on U.S. National Security

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has initiated an investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. § 1862), to determine the effects on U.S. national security from imports of Neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets. Interested parties are invited to submit written comments, data, analyses, or other information to BIS by November 12, 2021.

Commerce Department Awards $60 million in NOAA Education Grants to HBCUs to Increase Diversity in STEM Workforce

Recently, the U.S. Department of Commerce, through its National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has awarded grants of up to $30 million, over a five-year period, to two Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Florida A&M University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. These grants build up NOAA’s continuing long-term commitment to ensuring a future NOAA workforce that is representative of the nation’s population.

More Commerce News →

Around Commerce

Secretary Raimondo Outlines Agenda to Increase American Competitiveness

David M. Rubenstein, Chairman of The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., interviewed The Honorable Gina Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, on Tuesday, September 28, 2021.

Watch Now →

Two-Thirds of Recent First-Time Fathers Took Time Off After Birth

Roughly two-thirds of men who were fathers for the first time from 2016 to 2019 took some type of leave in the 12 weeks after their child was born, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released today.

Three Types of FirstNet Authority Support for Preparedness

September is National Preparedness Month, an important reminder for Americans to prepare for disasters and emergencies. The 2021 theme is “Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love.” In public safety, every month is Preparedness Month.

EDA Updates Regulations to Make Grants More Accessible to Native American Communities

The Economic Development Administration (EDA), which helps facilitate regional economic growth in communities across the country, announced today that it has updated its regulations to create greater opportunities for Native American Communities to participate in its grant programs.

Commerce by the Numbers

Gross Domestic Product (Third Estimate), Corporate Profits (Revised Estimate), and GDP by Industry, Second Quarter 2021

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 6.7 percent in the second quarter of 2021, reflecting the continued economic recovery, reopening of establishments, and continued government response related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase was revised up 0.1 percentage point from the “second” estimate released in August.

Learn More →

Business Growth in Desert Southwest More than Twice National Average

The Desert Southwest region has long set a dizzying pace for population growth, expanding by at least twice the national average every decade from 1950 and 2010. Does business growth in this region mirror this population change? In a word — yes.

Learn More →

U.S. Department of Commerce Announces 50 Recipients of "Build to Scale" Program

Today, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo announced that 50 organizations — including nonprofits, institutions of higher education, state government agencies, and other entrepreneurship-focused organizations — from 26 states will receive grants totaling $36.5 million to support programs that fuel innovation and tech-based economic development.

Learn More →

Making Measurements With a Fine-Toothed Comb

To many people, a measurement sounds mundane, like marking ticks on a ruler or reading the line on a thermometer. It’s a piece of data. And they tend to think that improved measurements look like finer and finer ticks on a ruler — which doesn’t seem very exciting. But making new measurements is more than just making finer marks on a ruler.

Learn More →