Apple is set to add 1,200 jobs in its San Diego sites by 2021. The American tech giant will also construct a new campus as part of its promise to turn the area into a technology hub.
In a media briefing on Wednesday, Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced to local leaders that the U.S. tech firm will bring new, high-quality jobs to the country. Apple Vice President Kristina Raspe was also in attendance to confirm the announcement, CBS News 8 reported.
The iPhone maker currently employs around 600 workers in its San Diego offices and the company is looking to expand further with new sites in Austin, Culver City, and Seattle before 2022.
CEO Tim Cook said of the development, "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."
Mayor Faulconer and Apple officials have been discussing the programs over the past few weeks before Wednesday's announcement. The city chief said he made an invite to Apple for expansion purposes in San Diego "on behalf of a grateful city."
Apple previously pledged to transform San Diego into a major engineering and technology hub. To fulfill the promise, the company is looking to distribute additional jobs within particular engineering fields such as software and hardware technology.
In a tweet, Mayor Faulconer said San Diego was meant to welcome businesses who seek to transform the future through innovations. Cook, for his part, tweeted that he is "thrilled" to expand the company in the city, noting that the location promises "so much talent."
According to Fox 5 News, Apple has not yet decided on a specific location for the new campus but the tech giant is reportedly planning to construct a thousand-square-feet facility that will house a research area, an office, and a laboratory.
Around 200 employees are expected to be added to the San Diego workforce before the end of 2019 while the rest should be integrated into the company within the next three years.
Raspe said during the conference that Mayor Faulconer gave Apple a detailed account of what San Diego has to offer, resulting in the decision of adding over a thousand jobs for its upcoming site.
Business and political leaders expressed approval for the city's partnership with the Cupertino-based tech mammoth. NBC 7 reported that Chair of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, Janice Brown, and President and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, Jerry Sanders attended the briefing.
