A new study shows that the creation of mobile, enterprise, consumer, and cloud apps has created around 466,000 jobs.  The study’s author, Tech Net, is a bipartisan policy and political network of technology CEOs.  The large number has been built up in the relatively short time span of 5 years since the introduction of mobile applications.

Tech Net defines the app economy as, “The market for applications and technology products and services related to the delivery of applications in the mobile, enterprise, Web and cloud spaces.”  The study also showed that the New York/New Jersey metro area has the highest per capita amount of app economy jobs at 9.2 percent.  However, California has the highest amount of total app economy jobs at 23.8 percent. This is followed by New York State at 6.9 percent.

App economy jobs range from app development firms, to application development training companies, to enterprise app positions within larger companies.  The Tech Net study was conducted by the president of South Mountain Economics, Michael Mandel.  While Mandel found that New York held the top spot for per capita app jobs the combination of San Francisco and San Jose far exceeded that of New York’s.  Though California holds the top spot for the app economy as a whole with nearly one in four jobs being app related states like Georgia, Florida, and Illinois are also throwing their hat in the ring.  The combination of these three states makes up two thirds of the app economy outside of California and New York.

Rey Ramsey, the president and CEO of Tech Net, said in a statement, “America’s App Economy—which had zero jobs just five years ago before the iPhone was introduced—demonstrates that we can quickly create economic value and jobs through cutting-edge innovation.  Today, the App Economy is creating jobs in every part of America, employing hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers today and even more in the years to come.”  Mandel also commented saying, “Today, the App Economy is creating jobs in every part of America, employing hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers today and even more in the years to come.”

Tech Net believes that every new app creates opportunities for programmers, testers, support staff, and more.  Although so many app related jobs have been created, there is still a need for more trained IT professionals to fill the ever expanding job market created by the app economy.  This has lead companies like On the GoWare to offer app development training to promising app developers in high school and college.

With this study Tech Net quantified the obvious impact that advances in mobile technology has had on the consumer and business markets.  In a time of economic strife the app economy is boosting the economy with a boom in job creation.  Applications are unlike most goods; since they are not tangible their reach is global and unlimited.  The ability to download apps any time anywhere makes them infinitely accessible which drives sales and creates a higher demand for more apps and more jobs.  It is impossible to tell just how much of an impact the app economy will have in the future.  What is certain is there is no denying the economic boost that the app economy has already created, and the public’s ongoing interest in mobile technology.