Shipper-driven initiative to create jobs

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is reminding shippers and policymakers about the central role the nation’s free enterprise system must play in turning around the country’s jobless rate.  

The comments come in response to new Labor Department statistics released late last week that put America’s national jobless rate at just over 10 percent—a threshold last passed over 25 years ago. Government economists also say they expect the jobless rate to climb yet higher next year.  This report comes despite the government’s recent statement that the economy grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the July-September quarter, indicating a rebound in the economy—but not one strong enough to turn the tide on employment.

“In order to dig out of this employment hole, we need a period of sustained and significant economic growth,” said Marty Regalia, chief economist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Only through a vibrant, free enterprise system can we achieve growth on the scale we need to turn these jobs numbers around.”

The new jobless data is another reminder of the need for the U.S. Chamber’s recently launched American Free Enterprise: Dream Big campaign. The campaign, launched last month, is designed to remind Americans about the many benefits of free enterprise and to encourage multinational shippers  to foster a climate for free enterprise to flourish and create more than 20 million new jobs.

“Our American free enterprise system has created more economic benefits for more people over a more prolonged period of time than any other system in history,” said the Chamber’s campaign director, Brian Gunderson. “Americans across the nation are joining the movement for free enterprise, pledging their support for a strengthened free enterprise system, and doing their part to dream big and work hard to meet the urgent national job creation challenge.”

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