When Amazon officially passed on Austin as its Amazon HQ2 location, some of us rejoiced, and others lamented. The Austin American-Statesman reports that Amazon simple landed a better deal along the East Coast thanks, in part, to Austin residents’ mixed feelings (residents and business leaders were worried about how such a big addition to Austin would affect traffic, affordable housing, and other issues).
Meanwhile, Apple was quietly finalizing plans to make Austin home to a major expansion of its operations, including an investment of $1 billion to build a new campus in North Austin less than a mile from its existing facilities. Initially, 5,000 additional Austin employees will be added, nearly doubling its current count of 6,200. The new campus will be built to house as many as 15,000 new workers, which will make Apple the largest private employer in Austin.
It’s not Amazon HQ2’s 50,000 headcount, but it’s a lot. Apple says that its new Austin jobs will include a broad range of functions including engineering, R&D, operations, finance, sales, and customer support.
What does this mean to other employers?
Those not hiring tech or tech-related talent may benefit from an increased workforce among family members who will also relocate without jobs lined up. And if you’re hiring for similar positions to Apple, rest assured that a strong tech climate with Apple, IBM, Amazon, NXP, Oracle, Dell, (soon-to-be) Resideo, and so many more large tech companies in the mix can improve the candidate pipeline for all. However, employers not offering nationally competitive compensation and an attractive work culture will fall behind. (Austin tech workers experienced the biggest salary increases in the nation in 2017, by the way.)
For more on Apple’s big move and how it affects Austin employers, see:
- Apple’s official announcement to expand in Austin
- Statesmen’s take on how Apple’s approach differed from Amazon’s
- Austin Business Journal’s Colin Pope explaining how the expansion might affect Austin
And to learn more about how to compete with Apple and other Austin companies for top tech talent, look at the perks provided at Built In Austin’s Best Companies to Work For in Austin or contact our technical recruiters.
