3 By facilitating such investment-oriented spending, credit enables consumers to save and consume at times that meet their needs. For example, the purchase of an automobile, which many are only able to do using credit, can expand employment opportunities, which, in turn, can lead to higher incomes.
Access to consumer credit also enables many entrepreneurs to finance the start-up or expansion of small businesses, a large source of employment in the United States. Second, a robust consumer credit market facilitates the growth of consumer durables industries (e.g., computers, autos, and appliances) in which new technologies, mass production, and economies of scale have historically created employment growth and new wealth.