App Economy Creates Millions of U.S. Jobs
Source: Angela Moscaritolo
Those looking for a job in today's economy might just want to consider getting into the app field.
There are currently about 466,000 app-related jobs in the U.S., up from zero in 2007, when the iPhone was introduced, according to a study released Tuesday by technology trade group TechNet.
"Today, the App Economy is creating jobs in every part of America, employing hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers today and even more in the years to come," Rey Ramsey, president and CEO of TechNet, said in a statement.
While app-related jobs are spread throughout the country, they are most prevalent in California, followed by New York, Washington, Texas and New Jersey, according to the study, which was sponsored by TechNet and conducted by Michael Mandel, president of consultancy South Mountain Economics. New York City is the top metro area for app jobs, followed by San Francisco and San Jose, Calif.
The meteoric rise of smartphones, tablets, and social media sites ― and the skyrocketing number of apps available for these platforms ― is "perhaps the biggest economic and technological phenomenon today," the report states.
Apps represent jobs for programmers, user interface designers, marketers, managers, and support staff. In the so-called app economy, there are core companies, such as Apple, Google, and Facebook that maintain a platform on which apps can run, and an app marketplace. These firms employ individuals in app "infrastructure" roles.
App-related jobs also exist at small and large app development firms like game-maker Zynga, Electronic Arts, Amazon and AT&T.
"The App Economy is only four years old and extremely fluid," the paper states. "Both the location and number of app-related jobs are likely to shift greatly."
For more, see PCMag's 75 Best Android Apps and 75 Best iPhone Apps, as well as the best iPad apps slideshow below.
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