SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) — Mayor Kevin Faulconer gathered local leaders for an announcement on Wednesday and spoke about a new plan to bring high-quality jobs to San Diego.
Faulconer’s news conference was held at the Apple Store in University City where he and Apple Vice-President, Kristina Raspe announced the company’s plan to add 1,200 employees in San Diego over the next three years as part of a nationwide expansion.
Apple announced in December that it would expand to several cities nationwide, including Seattle, Culver City, Austin and San Diego. At that time, Apple said it planned to add roughly 1,000 jobs at each of its new expansion sites in San Diego, Seattle and Culver City by the end of 2021.
The company now plans to add around 1,200 jobs in San Diego by 2021, 200 of which should be in place by the end of 2019
Mayor Faulconer says the announcement sends a message to other high-tech companies that we are open for business with quality employees.
“Apple has been a part of San Diego for nearly 20 years through our retail presence and small, fast-growing teams – and with this new investment we are proud to play an even greater part in the city’s future,” said Tim Cook, Apple CEO. “You don’t have to try too hard to convince people that San Diego is a great place to live, work and do business, and we’re confident our employees will have a great home among the community there.”
Apple and Mayor Faulconer had met over recent weeks to discuss the company’s growth plans.
“There isn’t a city in the U.S. that can offer the talent, infrastructure and community that San Diego can,” said Mayor Faulconer. “I invited Apple to increase its growth in San Diego, and on behalf of a grateful city we’re delighted they accepted our invitation. Apple’s inventions have literally changed the world, revolutionizing how we communicate, create, do business and learn. As Apple continues to innovate and introduce new products, we will be proud to say that San Diego is a part of it.”
According to Apple, San Diego will now become a principle engineering hub for the company. The additional jobs will be distributed across a number of specialty engineering fields including hardware and software technologies.
“We were excited to announce in December that we planned to grow our presence here and add one thousand jobs, and then Mayor Faulconer and members of his team very thoughtfully and convincingly walked us through everything the San Diego region has to offer,” said Kristina Raspe, Apple Vice President of Global Real Estate and Facilities. “So, we went back and sharpened our pencils and increased our investment.”
Apple has not picked a location for a new campus that will feature hundreds of thousands of square feet of office, lab and research space.
The company currently employs roughly 600 people at its five stores around the county.
