International Trade

Southern California’s economy is an international economy. International activity – both trade and investment – is a major driver of growth and opportunity, and a major differentiator of our region. Consider the following:

• 441,200 Direct Trade Jobs in the Five-County region and 261,000 in Los Angeles County alone – 149,700 of them new in the last ten years – making direct international trade the largest employing sector of our local economy
• Another 10% of the region’s GDP is tied to service exports such as movies, tourism and financial services
• Our combined ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the fifth busiest in the world and the busiest in North America, handling nearly one-third of all in- and outbound U.S. trade
• Our international communities include the largest Asian population outside of Asia and the largest Latino population outside of Latin America

LAEDC is keenly aware of the critical role of international trade and investment to the continued growth of our economy, and their contribution to the unique competitiveness of our region. We work to attract international investment and to promote international opportunities for our businesses through a variety of programs and partnerships, including the World Trade Center Association Los Angeles – Long Beach, which serves as the primary vehicle for our international initiatives.