App developer. It’s a job title that, even a decade ago, didn’t exist. Yet, today, app developers – and myriad roles associated with bringing an app to market – are among the most in-demand by companies in just about every industry. And Australia is no exception. More than 113,000 people are estimated to be working in our exploding ‘app economy’ says Guy Cooper, Managing Director of Melbourne app development company Wave Digital. “And it’s not unreasonable to expect that to double over the next few years.”
A new research report by the Progressive Policy Institute, shows that the figure of 113,000 is up 11 per cent since 2014. This means app-related employment in Australia makes up .9 per cent of all jobs. In Europe, that figure is .8 per cent, while in the United States, app-related employment (dubbed ‘app intensity’) is responsible for about 1.1 per cent of all employment. According to the July 2017 report, entitled The Rise of the Australian App Economy, the ‘app economy’ is made up mainly of roles related to designing, developing, maintaining or supporting mobile app development. But it also includes allied roles such as those in finance and marketing, which support these core app economy jobs.
“New South Wales leads Australia’s app economy with 56,100 of all related jobs,’’ says Guy. “But here in Victoria we come in second and are responsible for 29,000 app-related roles.” According to the report, next in is Queensland with 14,000; Western Australia with 4,400; the ACT with 5,200 jobs; South Australia with 1,600 roles, Tasmania with 1,300 and, finally, the NT with 400 of all app-related roles in the country.
“Most of these workers are employed by app development companies such as Wave Digital,’’ says Guy. “The PPI’s report also shows that many of these app economy workers are employed by software or media companies as well as financial and retail companies and non-profits. But I think the list is a lot longer because I doubt there are too many companies that haven’t had a discussion – or at least thought about – creating an app for their own business, industry or customers.
“Every single day we have people from organisations of all sizes, from small one-person businesses to government departments, contact us about how mobile apps can help them or their customers. As the market matures, they are all seeing an even stronger demand from consumers for better quality apps,” Guy says.
There is, he adds, an even greater demand for improved app design and better user experiences. There is also now a focus on human-centred design processes. This is as customers become more sophisticated and demand great experiences that truly enhance their lives and genuinely save them time, effort and money.
“Building such intuitive apps can only be done by a great, well-rounded team. That can only come from hiring great people who ‘get’ that building an app is about more than just cobbling together features that a client wants,’’ says Guy. "When hiring, we look for well-rounded people with a little life experience, not just those who fit the job description on paper. It’s about creating something that makes life better, whether you’re a company wanting to streamline your business processes or a small business needing to increase engagement with your customers. There’s no such thing as just building an app these days. You have to build experiences.”
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