The same dynamic is happening now, but a growing portion of the spending is going abroad, creating jobs in other countries rather than the United States. That is because the value of imported capital goods, measured as a percentage of total expenditures, excluding cars and trucks, rose to just under 40 percent last year from just over 30 percent in 1990 and 15 percent in 1980. Similarly, spending on imported consumer goods and services as a percentage of total outlays stands at 12 percent today, up from 7 percent in 1990 and 4 percent in 1980.