Apple to add 500 new jobs in Ireland

Apple plans to add more employees to its European headquarters in Cork, Ireland, the company announced today. Over the next 18 months, Apple plans to add 500 employees to its Ireland-based operation to help "support our growing business across Europe." Apple currently has 2,800 employees in Cork. In order to make room for the new hires, Apple will build a three-story office building next to the existing facility, according to Ireland's RTE News. Although Apple hasn't said what kind of jobs will be created in the move, Cork provides a host of back-office and supply-chain functions for the company. It's also a key player in Apple's distribution across Europe. According to RTE News, Apple has employed workers in Cork for 30 years. Apple has always had a high opinion of its workers and their ability to contribute to the economy. Last month, the company released a study, claiming 514,000 jobs across the U.S. have either been "created or supported" by the iPhone maker. Although just 47,000 of those people were actual Apple employees, the remaining workers were made up of people employed at other companies engaged in engineering, manufacturing, and transportation, among other tasks. "Throughout our history, Apple has created entirely new products--and entirely new industries--by focusing on innovation," Apple wrote at the time. "As a result, we've created or supported more than 500,000 jobs for U.S. workers: from the engineer who helped invent the iPad to the delivery person who brings it to your door." Apple hasn't conducted a similar study on how it may impact economies across Europe.