Smartphone technology has transformed the world as we know it.
Having an app for almost everything is big business.
It has created a so-called “app economy” that has boosted job growth around the world. And Mexico is one country benefiting from that shift.
Research shows more than a quarter of a million Mexicans can thank the app economy for their jobs.
Researcher Michael Mandel from the Progressive Policy Institute estimates that as of last year more than 226,000 jobs existed in the country as a direct result of an app economy that began 10 years ago. Of those, more than half are located in Mexico City alone, 20,000 in the border city Monterrey, and 17,000 in Guadalajara, a metropolis considered one of the biggest technology hubs in Latin America.
With the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, the app economy is a decade old, and Mexico presents itself as an appealing offshore destination for US companies looking to expand low-cost app development within the region.