Apple’s reach stretches far beyond manufacturing jobs, and the tech giant is not stopping now.
On Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced plans for a $1 billion fund to expand advanced manufacturing jobs in the United States, but the company is no stranger to job creation.
Apple has already created two million jobs in the U. S., from engineers to app developers to suppliers, Cook told » Mad Money » host Jim Cramer. (Read the full interview here .)
Directly and indirectly, Apple has reached workers in all 50 states, boasting 80,000 company employees in areas like research and development, customer support, financial services, and Apple’s 271 U. S. stores.
U. S.-based suppliers such as Corning, which supplies glass for the iPhone and iPad, and 3M, which Apple calls on for adhesive materials, credit the company for 450,000 jobs.
Additionally, 1,530,000 jobs can be attributed to what Apple calls « the App Store ecosystem, » a network of designers and developers for the ever-growing roster of iPhone apps.
« These are folks from really small businesses, a party of one, to larger companies, and they’re writing apps that change the world, » Cook said on Wednesday.
On its website, Apple cites a number of statistics, including a 1,500% increase in U. S. workers since 1998. The company also lists key investment projects in California, Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, and Oregon to build new facilities and hire more employees.
« We actually spent over $50 billion last year in this country. I mean, this is incredible, » Cook told Cramer. « We’re not satisfied with just two million. And so you can bet we’re going to be hiring thousands of employees in the future. »
