The App Store supports 330,000 jobs in the UK, Apple says

App Store on iPhone
App Store on iPhone (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple says that the App Store supports 300,000 jobs across the United Kingdom.
  • The 330,000 number represents a 10% increase over the year prior.

Apple says that its iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV App Stores support more than 330,000 jobs across the United Kingdom. That number represents a 10% increase on the number from 2020.

Apple made the announcement via a Newsroom post this morning, saying that the App Store was a "resilient source of opportunity" during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the pandemic forced people across the UK to adapt every aspect of their lives, and brick-and-mortar businesses to move online, the iOS app economy was a resilient source of opportunity, innovation, and economic growth. UK developers continued to grow their businesses and share new apps with the world, and the App Store now supports more than 330,000 jobs in the UK — an increase of more than 10 percent over the past year.

Apple goes on to say that the App Store has generated more than £3.6billion with a 22% growth from the previous year. A similar trend has also been seen across mainland Europe, Apple says.

Developers across the UK generated to date more than £3.6 billion in total earnings — growing 22 percent in 2020 from the previous year. That trend echoed across Europe, where the iOS app economy grew to support 1.7 millions jobs — a 7 percent increase since 2019. The UK leads Europe in iOS app developer jobs, with Germany and France estimated to each host over 250,000 jobs.

Whether users are enjoying their new iPhone 12 or the latest iPad Pro, the App Store is what elevates Apple's platforms in a way that simply wouldn't be possible without it. Apps and games available in the App Store are so vital that they take pride of place in our 'Best of 2020' list. None of that would be possible without developers.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.