Foxconn, the supplier of Apple iPhones, has reportedly imposed a hiring pause. Why? Because it is facing shortage of space to quarantine workers at its plant.
To meet the surge in demand for iPhones, given the holiday and gifting season round the corner, the Company actually needs about a lakh new workers to be able to fulfil the orders.
However, many of the existing workers stopped showing up due to fear of COVID. Also, there is no space for new workers to undergo the four-day mandatory quarantine before joining active work.
Lockdowns and COVID-19 related restrictions have adversely affected shipping, resulting in delay in fulfilling the orders of iPhone14.
Fresh fears of a COVID outbreak had led to many workers abandoning work and fleeing the Foxconn factory at Zhengzhou. Many of them reportedly decided to leave on foot, back to their homes since there was suspension of public transport as part of the safety measures to control the spread of the virus.
With so many disruptions, the Company is now considering increasing the number of workers at its plant in India to ensure that global supplies are not impacted, especially amidst a growing demand for iPhones.
Over the next two years, the Taiwanese multinational electronics company and Apple supplier, intends to expand its workforce by four times, at the Indian iPhone factory in Tamil Nadu.
At its Zhengzhou plant, which is probably the world’s largest iPhone manufacturing plant, Foxconn employs at least two lakh workers.
