Apple App Store system now supports over 2.1 million jobs in U.S. — Apple World Today

Since the App Store launched in 2008, the iOS app economy has become one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy. Despite the pandemic, the App Store continues to provide economic opportunities for entrepreneurs of all sizes, “helping anyone with an idea reach customers around the world and take advantage of new opportunities that would never be possible without it,” says Apple. 

The App Store ecosystem now supports more than 2.1 million U.S. jobs across all 50 states — an increase of 15% since last year — as part of the 2.7 million jobs Apple supports across the country.

That growth has been experienced by companies large and small, including the team at Caribu in Miami, Florida. Caribu is an app that enables immersive, activity-rich video calls, allowing families and friends to stay close even from afar. Participants can draw together, read bedtime stories, solve puzzles, cook, and even visit museums in real time — connections that have become even more important in recent months.

Caribu co-founders Maxeme Tuchman and Alvaro Sabido (pictured) saw their business take off this spring, as people sought new ways to keep in touch. To respond to the tenfold increase in customers across the globe, Caribu’s team tripled in size, from four employees to 12, contributing to the 17,000 new app economy jobs in Florida.

“We’ve had incredible growth in the last year, and we’ve massively expanded our team to meet demand,” says Tuchman. “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.”

In Texas, the app economy added 36,000 new jobs in the past year, an increase of nearly 30%. Contributing to that growth is H‑E‑B, a Texas-based retailer founded in 1905, which now operates 350 stores throughout the state and has added jobs to a staff of nearly 110,000. In the months before the pandemic, it launched the My H‑E‑B mobile app, which makes curbside pickup and home delivery of groceries and other essential items easy and streamlined. 

Since then, the app’s number of monthly active users increased 1,050% and achieved its 2021 revenue goals in a matter of months. In response, H‑E‑B expanded its digital team by more than 150, and the team has recently added enhanced features like no-touch digital coupons, self checkout, in-app donations, and SNAP payment integration.

“Our focus on ease of use turned out to be even more important than we’d imagined, and we’re proud that our app is making it possible for more Texans to take care of their families during the pandemic,” says Mike Georgoff, chief product officer for H‑E‑B Digital. “Our company’s strength is our workforce — so much so that we call them partners. It means so much to us to grow that team every year as we expand our footprint and offer our customers new digital services.”