Trade specialist Lisa Kjaers estimates there are between 100,000 and 150,000
trade specialists working in the U.S. Most work for the government at either
the federal or state level. Only a small percentage work as independent consultants.
"As more companies consider global trade to be just part of their standard
means of operating their business, these kinds of skills are more and more
desired by U.S. corporations," says Barbara Moebius. She is associate dean
of a Wisconsin college that offers a program in international trade.
"I don't see that the situation is really going to change anywhere in the
future, because companies are becoming more global, not less global," Moebius
adds.
Moebius puts the entry-level earnings of professionals in this field roughly
between $20,000 and $30,000. But the sky is the limit when it comes to the
upper end of the scale, she says. International sales managers, for example,
earn very high salaries.
Earnings and employment information from the U.S. Department of Labor is
not available for this field at this time.