Apple has stepped up hiring in the last few months to provide a significant staff boost to its retail stores and new product development, according to research by GlobalData. The leading data and analytics company’s Job Analytics Database reveals that Apple’s job postings increased by 78% in July 2021, when compared to July 2020, and over 370 of these listings related to ‘Apple Retail’. Interestingly, Apple has also increased job listings that refer to ‘new products’, from 130 jobs in March 2021 to over 270 job postings in July 2021.

Anisha Bhatia, Senior Analyst for Consumer Services, Platforms and Devices at GlobalData, says: “Apple grows its market share in regions where it expands its retail footprint. The Apple Store is a status symbol, especially in developing countries, bringing together the Apple community in what is known as the Apple experience. Apple has room to grow in regions like India, Africa and the Middle East, and its focus on expanding its retail imprint in those markets will help reap market share rewards for the company.”

Ajay Thalluri, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, says: “Apple is creating new products across various divisions, notably for the newly formed ‘Home Services’ team as it looks to innovate and craft new services using emerging technologies for the home market through hardware, software and services. The company recently advertised a role for a ‘Product Manager, Home Services’, the advert for which noted the candidate must have direct working experience with key ecosystem players, including home services providers, builders and technology providers.

“Further, Apple is expanding its product and service portfolio while readying to launch its popular iPhone devices, along with other products. The company reopened most of its stores in 2021, which led to an elevated need for new hires who will be responsible for helping customers set-up their devices.”

‘Specialist: Full Time and Part-Time’ roles increased from 94 jobs in May 2021 to 160 in July 2021, with jobs located in the US, China, the UK, Canada, Australia, Thailand, and the UAE. The company is also holding employment events in colleges and universities under the campaign title ‘Join Us. Be You.’ The contracts, which could last up to five months, are to staff retail stores in the US and Canada.

Apple is looking to grow presence of its retail stores by driving new store initiatives. The company advertised a role for a ‘Country Commercial Manager Southern Europe, Middle East and Turkey’ in London. This role suggests that the Europe, Middle East, India, Africa (EMEIA) team is identifying customer trends and behaviour in new markets. Additionally, the company’s role for a ‘Senior Product Manager, Geo Expansion, Apple Store online’ and a ‘Sr. Financial Analyst, Retail Real Estate Strategy and Analytics’ shows that Apple is preparing to enter new markets with a physical and/or online retail presence.

Thalluri concludes: “The company’s expansion to India via an online store in September 2020 is one such instance where Apple has entered a new market. According to its Q3 2021 earnings call, the company stated that emerging markets such as India registered strong growth. The company could maintain hiring momentum with its products set for launch later this year.”