Export-Import Bank: More Detailed Information About Its Jobs Calculation Methodology Could Improve Transparency, Report to Congressional Committees   [open pdf - 705KB]

From the GAO (Government Accountability Office) Highlights: "Ex-Im [Export-Import Bank] provides loans, guarantees, and insurance to U.S. exporters. One of Ex-Im's primary missions is to support U.S. jobs through exports. In its 2012 annual report, Ex-Im stated that its financing helped support an estimated 255,000 export-related U.S. jobs. In 2012, Congress passed the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012. The act required GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on the process and methodology used by Ex-Im to calculate the effects of export financing on U.S. employment. This report (1) describes the methodology and processes Ex-Im uses to calculate the effects of its financing on U.S. employment and (2) examines the limitations of Ex-Im's approach and how Ex-Im reports on its methodology, and provides additional related information. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed relevant Ex-Im documents, obtained and reviewed the data Ex-Im uses for its calculations, and interviewed agency officials and trade policy researchers. To ensure better understanding of its jobs calculation methodology, GAO recommends that Ex-Im improve reporting on the assumptions and limitations in the methodology and data used to calculate the number of jobs Ex-Im supports through its financing. Ex-Im agreed with the recommendation and stated that it would begin reporting more detailed information in its fiscal year 2013 annual report."