As Foxconn prepares for anticipated high demand for this year’s iPhone 16 lineup, it has hired 50,000 new workers in just two weeks, says a new report by BusinessKorea.
Apple has reportedly decided to boost iPhone 16 production by 10%, targeting an output of 90 million iPhone 16 units this year, in anticipation of strong sales this year. This has led Apple’s main iPhone manufacturing partner Foxconn to increase production at its Zhengzhou, China iPhone assembly plant. The factory, Apple’s largest iPhone production facility, is operating at full capacity, following the hiring of 50,000 new workers.
Foxconn’s Zhengzhou iPhone assembly facility is responsible for around 80% of Apple’s total iPhone production. Peak iPhone manufacturing time starts in August and runs through December. Foxconn annually holds a recruitment drive just before the peak production period, to prepare for the annual increase in production.
Foxconn has increased wages and bonuses to attract workers. In late July, Foxconn advertised an hourly wage of up to 25 yuan while offering an increased hiring bonus of 7,500 yuan, a 1,500 yuan increase from the bonus the company had offered just one month previous.
The increased wages and bonuses were a must to attract new workers, due to the highly competitive Chinese labor market.
Apple’s iPhone 16 lineup is expected to be unveiled in September.