Tradeology, the ITA Blog

SelectUSA is a program led by the U.S. Department of Commerce that facilitates and promotes job-creating business investment into the United States

Global companies are drawn to the United States for many reasons: a highly productive and educated workforce, low-cost supply of energy, direct access to the world’s most robust capital markets, and much more. But how much of our nation’s continued success in this arena should be attributed to incentives given to businesses by state and local governments? They receive a great deal of attention, but how much do companies actually consider incentives when determining where to invest?

Business executives are quite forthcoming with answers to the question. Many of the companies that SelectUSA has assisted have made it clear: incentives are a very important consideration, but not the most important one. Companies consider a mix of variables and factors: costs, location, supply chains, ease of doing business, etc. Consistently, the United States stands out as the best place to do business.

The United States has topped the A.T. Kearney FDI Confidence Index seven years in a row. The Index, a survey of global CEOs’ confidence in the world’s markets, highlights the top factors considered in business expansion and how markets stack up. In 2019, pro-business regulations, competitive tax rates, and economic expansion helped lead to another year of U.S. leadership in international investment. But economic incentives were also ranked among the top of the list of considerations.

State and local governments create incentives packages for companies in order to attract investment and create job opportunities in their local areas. Often given on the basis of job creation or economic impact, incentives can include grants, loans, tax and job training subsidies. These incentive packages can sometimes total in the millions or billions of dollars, but their size is contingent on the magnitude of the proposed business project. The federal government also offers a wide array of incentives, from clean energy production tax credits to export credit insurance for small businesses.

The investment process itself can seem complicated, and many companies don’t know where to start. Luckily SelectUSA is here to help companies navigate the process and connect with the right resources and incentives at the local level. Visit selectusa.gov to learn more. The United States is open for your business.

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Audrey Cheng is an intern for SelectUSA

The data is in: the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released the most recent numbers for global foreign direct investment (FDI) into the United States, and they’re good news for the country’s continued prosperity. Total stock of FDI in the United States reached $4.34 trillion in value in 2018. This is an incredible $319.1 billion increase from 2017, when we had just surpassed $4 trillion in FDI.

Here is a breakdown:

• The largest increases were in the industries of manufacturing, retail trade, and real estate.
• Manufacturing accounted for 40.8 percent of the total FDI value in the United States, followed by 12.1 percent in finance and insurance.
• Based on the country of the ultimate beneficial owner, five countries accounted for more than half of all the FDI in the United States. These countries aren’t just top sources of FDI – they represent the strongest economic relationships in the world. In order, they are: The United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Germany, and Ireland.
• Majority foreign-owned companies in the United States earned income of $208.1 billion on their cumulative investment in the United States. This is nearly 20 percent higher than in 2017.

To all of us at SelectUSA, this increase in investment is an assuring pat on the back but not a surprise. It reinforces what we know: America is the premier destination in the world for FDI.

As we look back at the BEA numbers of the past fiscal year, we are also looking toward a positive future. The 2019 A.T. Kearney Confidence Index ranked the United States as the nation likely to receive the most FDI in the coming three years. The World Bank’s Doing Business 2019 named us among the top nations globally for the ease of doing business—and number one among countries with populations more than 100 million.

This shows that the United States is doing all the right things to give companies the opportunities they need to be competitive. Businesses of all sizes have recognized that our huge consumer base, productive workforce, and pro-business policies here are unparalleled anywhere else in the world.

The U.S. economy is thriving and the continued increase in FDI will create even more career opportunities for hardworking Americans into the future. SelectUSA will continue to make sure that companies have all the resources they need to be successful in the United States.

To learn more about SelectUSA’s services, the U.S. business and investment climate, and how FDI benefits the U.S. economy, visit selectusa.gov and follow @SelectUSA on Twitter.