Bernanke--Trade's overall effect on US jobs: "none"

WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday the United States benefits on balance from expanded trade, and warned against barriers to imports as a response to jobs lost to international competition.

"If trade both destroys and creates jobs, what is its overall effect on employment? The answer is, essentially, none," Bernanke said in remarks prepared for delivery to a conference in Butte, Montana.

A copy of his speech was distributed in Washington.

He acknowledged that changes associated with opening U.S. markets to imported goods and services can bring hardship for some individuals, communities and companies.

"We need to continue to find ways to minimize the pain of dislocation without standing in the way of economic growth or change," he said.

"No country is better placed than the United States to benefit from increased participation in the global economy," he added.