Today, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics released the monthly Jobs Report which shows the unemployment rate has dropped to 3.4% with more than a half million jobs created in January and 800,000 manufacturing jobs created in the last two years. “President Biden’s economic plan is working,” said Commerce Secretary Raimondo. “When President Biden took office, the unemployment...

From February 6—10, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves will travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico to announce funding for Puerto Rico and address the importance of responding to the Economic Census, the official five-year measure of American business and the economy. Data provided by businesses fuels the most comprehensive economic statistics available, representing all U.S. industries and...

By George E. Jenkins, Chief Financial Officer for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) I grew up on a plantation in Savannah, Georgia, in the deeply segregated South. My grandfather and father were butlers and field hands, and my mother was a maid. They were determined that I would have a better life, and they were my mentors and true heroes during my early life. I went to an...

Mailout of the 2022 Economic Census has begun! The Economic Census serves as the cornerstone of the nation’s economic statistics and the information it collects helps shape decisions that affect the health of the economy. Sent to over 4 million business locations, this provides the most comprehensive data available at the national, state, and local level, representing most industries and...

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce is continuing to take action against Russia and those who enable Russia’s war in Ukraine. We added trade restrictions to seven Iranian entities involved in Iran’s drone program for supporting Russia’s war efforts and trying to use U.S. items to do it. They join a list of more than 370 entities that the department has taken action against since Feb. 24, 2022...

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) said in a new report Wednesday that the current mobile app store model is harmful to consumers and developers, and recommended policy changes to fix it. Mobile apps have become an essential tool for participation in much of daily life. Two companies – Apple and Google – act as gatekeepers over the apps...

An American Industrial Strategy for U.S. Tech Leadership: Investing in Competitiveness, Innovation, and Equity Thank you to the Informational Technology Industry Council for bringing us together for this summit. It’s an honor to be here. Today’s Tech and Policy Summit comes at the right time, as the United States and our allies are in a high-stakes technology competition with authoritarian...

Today, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo welcomed Australian Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic to Washington, D.C. The Secretary expressed her appreciation for Australia’s close coordination on a variety of initiatives such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) and the Australia-United States Strategic Commercial Dialogue (SCD). Secretary Raimondo welcomed the...

First Convening of Department-wide Equity Councils The U.S. Department of Commerce convened today the first Congress of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Councils to accelerate a shared mission to deliver equitable services to underserved communities and create a culture where employees can succeed and thrive. The inaugural meeting of the Councils led by Commerce Deputy...

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced today it has awarded 12 grants as part of the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CMC). Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Alan Davidson announced the awards at Coppin State University (MD), one of the...