North Carolina Residents Blast Apple's Lack of Local Job Creation

[Michael Essany]

At approximately 500,000 square feet, Apple's sprawling data center in North Carolina is the size of a shopping mall, nearly five times the size of the company's existing data center on the west coast. And, as you may have heard, this elaborate construction will soon be joined by a neighboring structure of equal magnitude.

As MMi reported earlier this fall, locally obtained permits suggest that Apple is building a so-called "solar farm" across from the massive data center it owns and operates in Maiden, N.C.

All told, you would think - or perhaps assume - that the locals would welcome such development in light of the jobs it brings to the community. Well, that hasn't been universally true in this neck of the woods, according to new reports surfacing over the weekend.

“Apple really doesn’t mean a thing to this town,” said a local furniture maker. “Apple was the apple of everybody’s eye, but that’s about it. It was something for everyone to ooh and aah over,” another resident told the Washington Post.

The reason for their disapproval? Apple's juggernaut development has reportedly only brought 50 full-time jobs to the entire region - an area plagued by high (double-digit) unemployment. And although political leaders and local officials are singing Apple's praises, residents are likely to keep complaining until all this development does more to reduce the region's 13 percent unemployment rate.

Source: The Washington Post

[sziklassy]

Unfortunate, but what did people expect? It's a data center for heaven's sake.

[GingerMan512]

I used to work for Dell and spent a couple months in NC about 6 years ago when they opened a new plant, which has already been closed. The situation was pretty dire there back then, I imagine it's only gotten worse. I can understand their frustration. A HUGE plant goes in so they naturally assume there will be hundreds of jobs because the place is so big.

[firedell6]

It does suck that there won't be many jobs, but just like sziklassy said. It is a data center...

[feidhlim1986]

Unfortunate, but what did people expect? It's a data center for heaven's sake.

Yup, 90% of work done is probably done remotely from Cupertino.

[spooneditr]

They probably don't understand what data center is and are behind on technology.

[Own3d]

Yup, 90% of work done is probably done remotely from Cupertino.

Bingo. Dumb rednecks wouldn't know that, I guess. They'd probably assume "oooh apple! Lots of jobs!"

[sh33436]

[LamboFan]

Unfortunate, but what did people expect? It's a data center for heaven's sake.

Get realistic for a moment. Look at the size of the data center. Don't you think they could create jobs by making something else instead? They have the right to rage over this.

[RoloDiva13]

Get realistic for a moment. Look at the size of the data center. Don't you think they could create jobs by making something else instead? They have the right to rage over this.

Like what? If a data center is what was needed then that's what Apple built. If the locals wanna raise pitchforks at someone they should start with whoever it was that sold Apple the land; this person appears to have taken the $$ and run instead of building on it themselves to help with job creation in their area.

[jOnGarrett]

50 Jobs for Americans thousands for the Chinese and other over seas companies. brilliant.

[Beastly L92]

Whah! Gimme gimme gimme!

It's a server farm. Not a cotton farm, you mouth breathers.

"Herp derp, I'm a gone git me a dang ole job in them thur google clouds, paw."

Get realistic for a moment. Look at the size of the data center. Don't you think they could create jobs by making something else instead? They have the right to rage over this.

What do you propose? If the locals can create jobs then it's
time to get cracking.

What do you expect of Apple? To create jobs in positions they don't need just to create jobs?

Bottom line. Apple wins, locals go eff themselves.

[spos86]

50 Jobs for Americans thousands for the Chinese and other over seas companies. brilliant.

Would you happily work under 200 u$d a month????? Didn't think so... Do you want to pay 1000 dollars for your iPhone?? Didn't think so either. Cant have it all buddy! It is what it is.

[RoloDiva13]

50 Jobs for Americans thousands for the Chinese and other over seas companies. brilliant.

Okay at the risk of sounding like a frakkin Republican, I have to ask how many people here b!tching at Apple for outsourcing product assembly would take the ~$132 a MONTH pay that Foxconn employees supposedly make??

Hmm...no takers?

Oh but wait, they could simply pay U.S. wages...and you better believe the retail price of their products would skyrocket, for good or ill, as the cost of manufacturing an item has direct bearing on what a company charges the consumer for it.

This discussion is a slippery slope and while I would love Apple--and other U.S. companies--to stop outsourcing jobs they could pay Americans to do, I also know I don't want to pay x times more for the same product so Billy Joe in NC can have a $14/hr manufacturing job screwing bits into the iPad 3. I highly doubt when push comes to shove, neither would many of you.

[zakspop]

Should be more than 50 jobs. Security, housekeeping, maintenance, groundskeepers, probably some office personnel, etc..

[Zeal]

robots!

[syedsufyan]

Maybe if Jobs came for a visit....

[stryker_tc]

---

Maybe if Jobs came for a visit....

Yea, I guess if they just wheeled Job's corpse down to the plant for a visit, then he could really crack some heads, get more people hired, and save the town!

[rkswat]

Whah! Gimme gimme gimme!

It's a server farm. Not a cotton farm, you mouth breathers.

"Herp derp, I'm a gone git me a dang ole job in them thur google clouds, paw."

What do you propose? If the locals can create jobs then it's
time to get cracking.

What do you expect of Apple? To create jobs in positions they don't need just to create jobs?

Bottom line. Apple wins, locals go eff themselves.

You really seem to be a giant douchebag. Mouth breathers? Whah gimme? I bet you wouldn't run your mouth like that in front of those "mouth breathers" because you wouldn't be doing to much breathing out of your mouth when it's filled with your own blood after they kicked your ***.

[Taranis17]

.... while I would love Apple--and other U.S. companies--to stop outsourcing jobs they could pay Americans to do, I also know I don't want to pay x times more for the same product so Billy Joe in NC can have a $14/hr manufacturing job screwing bits into the iPad 3. I highly doubt when push comes to shove, neither would many of you.

Quite hypocritical - That attitude is exactly why jobs are outsourced to begin with. It's all about you (and your pretty iToy) and screw anyone else as long as you get it at a price you can afford.

Come out of your bubble. I know plenty of young adults out there that would take a manufacturing job at Apple for half that wage.