The Job Shop’s Guide to Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms

For job shop owners, it may feel as though the impacts of foreign imports are beyond one’s control. Over the past several decades, foreign imports have come at the expense of many Tier 2 and 3 manufacturers across the United States whose deep regional roots are put at odds with the highly transactional nature of foreign trade.A federal program known as Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms (TAAF) financially supports domestic manufacturers facing the effects of increasing imports. TAAF helps businesses recover from the financial impacts of trade through projects that modernize their operations and increase their competitiveness.

Paperless Parts is passionate about supporting the American manufacturing industry. We saw the importance of creating The Job Shop’s Guide to Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms because many shops are not aware of the TAAF program despite the enormous benefits it yields.

This guide is based on interviews with TAAF program directors and is designed to introduce job shops to how TAAF can support them, how the funding process works, and what can be expected of working with the program.