The app economy is where all the jobs are. A new study funded by Technet and conducted by Dr. Michael Mandel of South Mountain Economics, shows that the development and marketing of applications has created 466,000 jobs in the United States since 2007, and may just be the answer to the country’s employment woes.
‘Apps’ were relatively unknown and not-quite-there before the iPhone. Now, when someone mentions an application or ‘app,’ what comes to mind is a handy program you download onto your phone or tablet to make your life easier…or to just have some fun.
On an economic level, each mobile application represents jobs for programmers, user interface designers, marketers, managers, and support staff. It also includes app-related jobs at large telecom, e-commerce, media and social media companies, as well as spillovers to the rest of the economy.
The report is bullish about the sector going forward, as well. The average number of employment ads containing the word “app” has grown 250% since December of 2008, and shows few signs of slowing. Mandel states in the report that as long as wireless and social network platforms continue to grow, the App Economy should grow with them. As the use of mobile computing devices and smartphones increases, the revenue generated from the app economy will grow. It’s pretty simple: more tablet and smartphone users need more apps, more entrepreneurs get into app-building, and more investors are willing to put their money into those businesses.
All these numbers, however, are estimates. After all, the app economy is only about 4 years old, still very fluid in nature, and shifting. Innovation is the key driver. As long as businesses need to adapt their offerings to suit the needs of increasingly tech-savvy, mobile and conscious consumers, then the app economy will thrive.
Have you hopped onto the bandwagon yet? If you still thinking about it, talk to the Mobility Team at Suyati Technologies. With deep expertise and experience in iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile (Mango) technologies, we are ready to help you win in the App Economy!
Sources
http://business.time.com/2012/02/08/the-app-economy-estimated-to-contribute-nearly-half-a-million-jobs-to-the-u-s/
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/02/the-rise-of-the-app-economy/252785/
http://www.technet.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/TechNet-App-Economy-Jobs-Study.pdf