Social network giant Facebook released a report claiming that it had created more than 4.5 million jobs in 2014 and helped funnel more than $227 billion in the world economy. The statistics was released by auditing company Deloitte and claims that Facebook has in one way or another helped set up jobs in countries such as Brazil and Australia.
The 4.5 billion created jobs were not directly hired by Facebook. The report said that Facebook helped in creating job opportunities for social media marketers, app developers and other jobs without direct connection to social media like internet equipment manufacturers and mobile phone manufacturers.
The logic employed in the study says that Facebook helped various companies reach out a wider consumer market through its advertisements and business page. The business then needs to expand in order to reach a certain segment of the market thus leading them to hire more people.
Many economists, however, did not agree with the statistical report made by Deloitte. Deloitte statistics were one-sided and aims to give more attention to social media company since it was Facebook that commissioned the study in the first place, according to Entrepreneur.
The report added that Deloitte used data provided Facebook in conducting the study thus increasing speculation that the audit report is nothing but a marketing stunt to promote Facebook.
Deloitte also reported that Facebook is credited to more than one-sixth of the total global smartphone sales.
Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg told Wall Street Journal that some people confuse Facebook as the Internet and some people walk into a mobile phone store saying "I want Facebook."
"We know Facebook is one of the main drivers of why people buy phones, particularly in the developing world," Sandberg said. "People actually confuse Facebook and the internet in some places."