If the iPhone 12 is really on the way, Apple ($AAPL) isn't really acting like it, yet.
But shares are up more than 16% so far in 2020, and analysts just keep hitching bigger and bigger price targets to Tim Cook's stock.
But, since the new year began - and throughout the global Coronavirus pandemic - Apple job postings have fallen by nearly 1,000, marking a decline of more than 16% in 2020. That said - Apple's headcount tracked via LinkedIn continues to grow (not shown), and it may simply be eliminating roles it no longer needs to be opened, having filled them.
For Apple's two biggest hiring categories - its Hardware segment, and its Software & Services division - job postings have fallen 3.3% and more than 8%, respectively. That just represents two of more than a dozen categories of data we track, and other segments - like Marketing - are smaller in size, but have also seen steep drop-offs in postings lately.
There is just one part of Apple's business that is growing in 2020 - albeit, barely. Our final chart centers on machine learning and AI job postings at Apple. They're clearly well off their 2020 highs, but still up for the year, signaling that this may be an area of Tim Cook's business that's been tabbed as a priority.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales, and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue, and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.
