Apple shared an update on Wednesday saying that its iOS app economy led to the creation of almost 300,000 new jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
”App Economy Jobs”
Apple doesn’t just refer to developers when it talks about “app economy jobs” that its ecosystem helps create. Remote ordering from restaurants, retailers hiring more people due to online ordering, and other types of “gig work” are all jobs Apple wants to take credit for.
The update also shares stories from various developers, like Maxeme Tuchman and Alvaro Sabido of the Caribu app:
We’ve had incredible growth in the last year, and we’ve massively expanded our team to meet demand. It means so much to us to not only be able to help connect families and friends at this difficult time, but to be able to provide stable, well-paying jobs to our growing number of employees as well. The App Store has given us a platform on which we can do both.
Apple also shares some numbers. It claims 2.1 app economy jobs across all 50 states, with some states growing:
- Maryland added 25,000 new app economy jobs since last year.
- Michigan added 12,000 new app economy jobs, growing 34 percent since last year.
- Many smaller states, including Alabama, Nevada, and Oklahoma, saw double-digit increases in app economy jobs during the same time period.
Apple itself employs over 90,000 employees in the U.S. and supports 450,000 manufacturing and supply chain jobs through its work with 9,000 American suppliers.