Foxconn Hires 50,000 New Workers In Expectation of High Demand For iPhone 16
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Apple is ramping up iPhone 16 production in anticipation of high demand for the handsets. This has led Foxconn to hire 50,000 new workers in just two short weeks, according to a report by BusinessKorea.
Apple has reportedly decided to boost iPhone production by 10% this year, with a target output of 90 million iPhone 16 models, as the Cupertino firm expects strong sales this model year. The company has thus stepped up production efforts with its main iPhone manufacturing partner, Foxconn, at its Zhengzhou, China, iPhone assembly plant. The factory, which is the world’s largest iPhone production facility, is currently operating at full capacity, thanks to the addition of the 50,000 new workers brought in over the last two weeks.
Foxconn’s Zhengzhou iPhone assembly facility is the main cog in Apple’s global iPhone supply mechanism. The facility is responsible for approximately 80% of Apple’s iPhone production. Peak manufacturing time for the iPhone starts in August and extends through December. Foxconn traditionally holds a recruitment drive just before this period, in preparation for the expected increase in production.
Chinese media outlets have reported that Foxconn’s recruitment efforts include significantly increased wages and bonuses to hire the personnel needed for the iPhone production push. Late July saw Foxconn advertise an hourly wage of up to 25 yuan while offering an increased hiring bonus of 7,500 yuan, a notable increase from the 6,000 yuan bonus the company had offered one month earlier.
The company’s decision to increase wages and bonuses to attract new workers reflects the highly competitive Chinese labor market, especially in major manufacturing hubs like Zhengzhou.
The increase in hiring comes amid reports that Foxconn would someday leave China and relocate its manufacturing facilities elsewhere, which the company has continued to deny. On July 24, foreign media reported that Foxconn has plans to build a new business headquarters in Zhengzhou worth about $148 million.
In addition to Foxconn’s Chinese assembly plant, Apple is expected to produce a larger number of iPhone models in India, starting with this year’s iPhone 16 lineup.
Foxconn opened its first iPhone assembly plant in India back in 2019, as Apple began making moves to push its suppliers to move production to countries other than China. The company continues to pour money into China, building additional manufacturing plants. However, the company has faced some struggles in making sure that its Indian production facilities operate efficiently, as the company has been forced to deal with cultural differences, language barriers, and employees’ resistance to the factories’ strenuous schedules.
While Foxconn has been hiring new employees for its factories in India, it’s faced criticism and an Indian government investigation into the company’s alleged reluctance to hire married women to fill the production slots due to their “family responsibilities.” Foxconn has reportedly told its recruiting partners to reject married women job seekers out of hand, even before they can fill out an employment application.
In July, it was announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested that the local government of Tamil Nadu state investigate the situation.
The allegations came as Indian Prime Minister Modi is working to encourage women to go to work. Companies like Foxconn represent a way out of poverty for women. Foxconn jobs pay $200 per month and include meals and living accommodations.
Apple’s new iPhone 16 lineup is expected to debut next month.
