Apple says it supports 2.4 million U.S. jobs

(Reuters) – Apple Inc stated on Wednesday it was both immediately or not directly answerable for 2.4 million U.S. jobs, up 20% from the two million the know-how firm estimated in 2017.

The iPhone maker stated its direct workforce grew from 80,000 to 90,000 within the 2-1/2 years since its final U.S. job estimate. But many of the estimated progress got here from corporations corresponding to Broadcom Inc which make elements within the United States for Apple merchandise and from third-party software program builders making apps for Apple gadgets.

App-related jobs totaled 1.9 million, up by 325,000 from its earlier estimate, the Cupertino, California-based firm stated in a information put up on its web site.

Apple didn’t say how it arrived at its estimates or how the analysis was funded. Estimates of oblique job creation can differ broadly relying on how the evaluation is carried out.

Apple has confronted criticism, together with from U.S. President Donald Trump, for contracting factories to assemble most of its merchandise in China. Apple has countered that it spent $60 billion on services and products from U.S.-based suppliers in 2018 and plans to extend that to $350 billion by 2023.

Apple stated in December it would spend $1 billion to construct a brand new campus in Austin, Texas, for as much as 15,000 staff and that it was including direct jobs in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City, California.