2023 marks the 15th anniversary of the creation of the App Economy, which has played a significant role in Europe’s economic growth. The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) recently released a new series of reports from Dr. Michael Mandel, Vice President and Chief Economist, and Jordan Shapiro, Director of PPI’s Innovation Frontier Project, that outline new job growth estimates created by the App Economy in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, as well as how the App Economy has provided pathways into the digital workforce for people who come from varied backgrounds.
“The App Economy has helped drive job growth in Europe for the past 15 years,” said Dr. Michael Mandel. “These positive trends seem to be continuing, and it’s important to continue to expand the digital workforce to reflect these new opportunities.”
PPI traveled to London, Paris, and Berlin to talk with federal lawmakers, local app developers, and tech policy experts about their experience working in the App Economy. In London, PPI highlighted new research that found the App Economy is responsible for 667,000 jobs in the United Kingdom as of May 2023, accounting for roughly 20% of the total net gain in U.K. jobs since 2008. Allison McGovern, MP, was the keynote speaker at the event and discussed the importance of creating economic opportunities for the United Kingdom.
In Paris, Prisca Thevenot, MP joined PPI and a panel of policy experts to discuss the digital skills needed to keep up with the growing jobs. PPI found the App Economy created 611,000 jobs in France as of May 2023, accounting for roughly 23% of the total net gain in French jobs since 2008.
PPI hosted an event in Berlin, highlighting new data that shows the App Economy is responsible for 633,000 jobs in Germany as of May 2023, accounting for roughly 13% of the total net gain in German jobs since 2008. Anke Domscheit-Berg, MP spoke on the importance of women in tech, and a panel of local app developers and senior software engineers shared their experiences with the app economy and the opportunities it has created.
As digital jobs continue to grow — like those in the App Economy — so does the demand for new digital skills. But supply for these skilled jobs continues to lag as workforce shortages persist across the tech industry. To address this issue, Taylor Maag, Director of Workforce Policy at the Progressive Policy Institute, released a new report titled “Closing the Digital Skills Gap: Unveiling Insights for Four Countries.” The report outlines the barriers confronting workers who want to acquire skills and examines four European countries’ efforts to address the digital skills divide.
Dr. Mandel released his first App Economy employment estimate for the United States in February 2012. Since then, PPI has become the leader in tracking App Economy job growth around the world, highlighting the economic importance of app-related jobs specifically and tech jobs more generally, along with the need to close the digital skill divide. Learn more about some of PPI’s recent work on the App Economy here.
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C., with offices in Brussels, Berlin and the United Kingdom. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org
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Media Contact: Amelia Fox, afox@ppionline.org
