Foxconn Begins Annual Hiring Spree Ahead of 2019 iPhone Season

As iPhone season approaches, Apple’s primary manufacturer, Foxconn, has begun its annual employee hiring spree.

As part of the seasonal hiring for its Shenzhen factory, a new report from Economic Daily News states that Foxconn has offered employees a one-time bonus of 4,500 China yuan (or about $850 CAD) to renew their contract. This is to ensure it has plenty of people in the factory to produce as many of the 75 million iPhones Apple is expected to order this fall.

Apple’s Asian partners could ramp production up to 80 million new phones if needed, one of the sources said.

Future iPhone assembly could move out of China as Apple develops a pivot strategy with the US and China in a trade dispute.

Earlier this summer, Foxconn indicated to Apple it could produce all iPhones headed to the United States in facilities outside of China. This would help Apple avoid the impacts of billions of dollars in proposed tariffs on Chinese-made goods.

Apple is widely expected to debut three new iPhones in September with the same 5.8-inch, 6.1-inch, and 6.5-inch sizes as the 2018 lineup.