Steve Jobs and American Jobs

As the nation mourns the death of Steve Jobs, it’s interesting to look at the role that his company plays in job creation, because Apple is one of the highest-achieving firms in one of the outstanding American industries: high tech. I came upon a fascinating analysis of the employment impact of just one Apple product, a device that Steve Jobs essentially invented: the iPod. An article in the Journal of International Commerce and Economics (PDF) looks at how many jobs were directly created by the iPod.

It’s well known that the device is assembled offshore, mostly of foreign-made components, and the authors of the study estimate that the number of foreign jobs in the iPod value chain outnumbered domestic jobs in 2006 by 27,000 to 14,000. In fact, they estimate that only 30 production jobs and a similar number of professional jobs are created by the manufacture of a few iPod chips here in the U.S. However, in 2006 the iPod also accounted for “7,789 nonprofessional jobs (primarily in retail and distribution) and 6,101 professional jobs (primarily at Apple’s headquarters), including management, engineering, computer support, and a variety of other categories.”

More important, in their analysis of the earnings of the 41,000 iPod workers, the authors estimate that here the balance tilts decidedly toward the United States, where the workers earned nearly $750 million in 2006, compared to only about $320 million earned by the foreign workers. “Over two-thirds ($525 million) of the earnings in the United States went to professional workers, and an additional $220 million to nonprofessional workers. While most of the nonprofessional jobs were relatively low-paying retail positions, we estimated that nearly $50 million went to administrative jobs at Apple for which we used the national average wage of $38,000 a year; actual Silicon Valley wages were probably even higher.”

In drawing conclusions, they hold up the iPod as an example of the opportunities and risks that globalization has created. “Apple’s tremendous success with the iPod and other innovative products in recent years has driven growth in U.S. employment, even though these products are made offshore. These jobs pay well and employ people with college degrees. They are at the high end of what might be considered middle-class jobs and appear to be less at risk of vanishing from the United States than production jobs.”

However, these high-value jobs require that future workers coming out of U.S. schools get a really good education. In addition, there is the risk that creative jobs, such as engineers and designers, will be taken by overseas workers as foreign governments and even American companies invest offshore in education and in cultivating creative industries.

The authors of this study don’t address the question of how many jobs the iPod indirectly created--or destroyed. The invention of the iPod set off a revolution in the way music is distributed. As people shifted to buying music on the Web in the form of MP3s, many record stores had to close, and as pirated MP3s circulated widely, record companies suffered declining sales even as the amount of music being consumed probably continued to rise. Although the shift to MP3s probably caused a net loss of jobs, the iPod also sparked the invention of the podcast, which created many jobs, not only for podcasters themselves, but also for the sound engineers who are involved in production of the glossier podcasts. Radio broadcasting has been consolidating into a few megacorporations, such as Clear Channel, but podcasting has helped keep many local sound-production businesses afloat.

Of course, the iPod is only one Apple product that sprang from the fertile imagination of Steve Jobs. The iPhone created a whole new platform for which creative programmers could devise new applications. Many of Steve Jobs’s other inventions will continue to create employment for American and foreign workers who are still to be born.

How To Become a Recruitment Consultant

Recruitment consultants can come from any walk of life. You may have recently graduated, left the armed forces, or simply want a change of career. The flexibility of the role of is second to none and provides an opportunity for anyone who has the drive and ambition to succeed in this highly competitive market.

There is a lot of money to be made as a recruitment consultant if you are willing to put on the work - this job is not for the faint hearted! There are no formal qualifications although it does help to have an area of specialism. This could be anything from a medical background, engineering degree, or 10 years working in the motor trade. All areas of industry require recruitment consultants so you can make your mark in any area of business. Staying sharp and the ability to think quickly will take you some of the way in the world of recruitment. It's a competitive area and competition is high. Over half of those who join the recruitment industry leave within a year, but those who knuckle down and stick with enjoy very high rewards for their work.

Few industries offer as competitive a salary, especially considering no formal qualification is necessary. You will need to be prepared to knocks along the way and put in the extra hours, but the pay off is well worth it.

If you decide to become a trainee recruitment consultant you will most likely start off as a researcher or resourcer. These jobs are termed 'entry level' and you will be trained thoroughly by experts within your company. They will mentor you in the initial stages until you are confident enough to start going it alone. As a researcher or resourcer your primary task is to assist the current recruitment consultants by sourcing new candidates for temporary and permanent vacancies currently being offered by your recruitment consultancy. At this point the number of candidates you can provide per vacancy is the most important factor, but this will change to the financial aspects of the placement when you move up to being a recruitment consultant.

If you can achieve your targets on a regular basis, within three to twelve months you should be on course to becoming a recruitment consultant. There is plenty of opportunity for career development in the recruitment industry, and your desire to progress will be an important part of it. The size and structure of the recruitment company you work for will also be a factor, the bigger the company, usually the more opportunity to progress.

As a trainee recruitment consultant you may wish to settle into a business niche, stay in a purely sales based environment, move to a recruiter on site position, or move into account management. In time and with hard work you may wish to progress to team leader or a managerial position within your recruitment company or another in the industry. Recruiting skill will always remain at the basis of your career, but the ability to manage people, financial ability, and manage time will help you along the way.