So far it has mostly been President Barack Obama making the pitch for reversing the flight of American jobs to countries like India and China and warning companies that outsourcing jobs would not get any tax breaks.

Now, as the Democrats face a tough election in which the jobs situation could be the single dominant issue, Obama’s Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made “jobs diplomacy” a key priority of the State Department.

Convening a global business conference, Clinton asked American diplomats to take the cue from their peers in India, China and Brazil to accord a jobs thrust and exports boost to their diplomatic pursuit.

“Rising powers such as China, India, and Brazil understand this as well, and we can’t sit on the sidelines while they put economics at the centre of their foreign policies,” Clinton told the conference.

“I have made Job Diplomacy a priority mission at the State Department, with a clear goal: Just as our companies are ready to out-work, out-innovate, and out-compete their rivals, so we intend to be the most effective diplomatic champions for prosperity and growth,” she said.