Apple supplier Foxconn has directed hiring agents responsible for recruiting iPhone assembly workers in India to eliminate age, gender, and marital status criteria from job advertisements, as well as the manufacturer's name. This information comes from three sources familiar with the situation and nearly a dozen job ads reviewed by Reuters.
These actions follow a Reuters investigation published on June 25, which reported that Foxconn had previously excluded married women from employment opportunities at its primary iPhone assembly plant in India, although the company occasionally relaxed this policy during peak production periods. Foxconn employs a significant number of women at its factory in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, and relies on third-party vendors for the recruitment of assembly-line workers. These agents are responsible for scouting and screening candidates, who are then interviewed and selected by Foxconn.
In the investigation, job advertisements from Foxconn’s Indian hiring vendors posted between January 2023 and May 2024 indicated that only unmarried women of certain ages were eligible for smartphone assembly positions, which violated anti-discrimination policies upheld by both Apple and Foxconn.
Following the publication of the article, Foxconn HR executives instructed many Indian vendors to standardise their recruitment materials according to templates provided by the company. These executives also conveyed to vendors not to communicate with the media. At a meeting in late June, HR executives referenced media coverage of Foxconn's hiring practices and stated that using the company's name in advertisements would result in contract termination.
Foxconn has not responded to inquiries from Reuters regarding its directives to recruiters or whether it has lifted restrictions on hiring married women for assembly roles. Apple also declined to comment on these inquiries. Both companies have stated that Foxconn does employ married women in India.
Reuters has not been able to independently verify whether Foxconn has increased the recruitment of married women for these roles. However, changes in advertising content appear to reflect the accounts provided by the recruiters.
Foxconn recuritment ad
In the wake of the earlier Reuters report, the government of India initiated central and state investigations into the hiring practices at the Foxconn facility. Labour officials conducted visits to the plant in July and interviewed company executives, but the findings from the government or state officials in Tamil Nadu have not been made public. The state government declined a request from Reuters for a copy of the investigation report under India’s Right to Information Act due to confidentiality concerns. Federal and state officials have not responded to inquiries regarding the outcomes of their investigations of Foxconn.
ALSO READ: Tata finalises deal with Pegatron for iPhone manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu: Report
Inputrs from Reuters
