All around the world we are seeing the rise of the App Economy—jobs, companies, and economic growth created by the production and distribution of mobile applications (“apps”) that run on smartphones. Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, the App Economy has grown from nothing to a powerful economic force that rivals existing industries.
In this paper, we examine the production and distribution of mobile apps as a source of growth and job creation for Mexico. We find that Mexico had over 225,000 App Economy jobs as of March 2016. What’s more, Mexico’s connectivity with the global economy, particularly the United States, gives the country the potential to add many more App Economy jobs in the near future.
Mexico has long benefited from strong relationships with its global trading partners and has been an enthusiastic supporter of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. An important next step for Mexico is to seize the opportunities provided by the new economy, realizing its potential for creating new export markets. Trade is now much more than just traditional goods and services—it is also digital goods, such as mobile apps.
Mexico is also benefiting from a relatively stable economy in a time of volatility in the region. Mexico has managed to register slow but steady growth rates over the past few years. For 2015, Mexico showed annual growth of 2.5 percent, while the overall Latin American economy contracted by 0.3 percent. As the global economy stabilizes and Mexico continues its steady growth amongst a region plagued with uncertainty, the country can further strength its position as an economic leader in Latin America.
