Jobs at Apple might soon be harder to find thanks to economic downturn

Apple Store Front
(Image credit: Apple)

A new report says Apple is planning to slow hiring and cut spending growth in 2023 as it prepares for a potential economic downturn. 

The news comes from well-connected insider Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who says that Apple’s decision “stems from a move to be more careful during uncertain times, though it isn’t a companywide policy.” 

That means the changes might not impact all of Apple’s team. Gurman says Apple is planning an “aggressive” 2023 launch schedule including a new Apple VR headset.

 A more cautious tone

 The report says the “more cautious tone” is notable for Apple because it has done so well during the pandemic and has “weathered past economic turmoil better than many peers.”

Apple’s shares fell sharply to end the day on the back of the news on Monday. 

In terms of specifics, Gurman reports that Apple has decided to give some teams a “lower-than-expected” budget for 2023 and that some groups will not be increasing their headcount next year, where previously they might hire 5% to 10% more employees. 

The last time Apple undertook such a cutback was in early 2019 after missing its expected iPhone sales targets. 

Apple is dealing with a number of global economic issues including inflation, supply chain pressures, and pressure from unions across the U.S. and elsewhere to increase compensation for its employees. Apple will release its Q3 earnings on July 28.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9