Apple Partners Foxconn, Pegatron Offering Bonuses to Employees Recruiting New Workers

Pegatron and Foxconn are paying big bonuses to employees who help recruit new people.

South China Morning Post reports that Apple assembly partners Foxconn and Pegatron are increasing bonuses to recruit workers for upcoming iPhone 13 assembly needs.

Both companies are offering recruitment bonuses of well over a month’s average salary. Additional bonuses are available to employees who recruit friends who then accept jobs with the companies.

The report explains: “As part of its ‘biggest raise in the past five years,’ Foxconn said the unit that produces mechanical parts for the iPhone – called the innovative Product Enclosure Business Group (iPEBG) – is offering up to 8,000 yuan (US$1,237) as signing bonus to former workers willing to return to the Zhengzhou production line for the peak season, a jump from 5,500 yuan a month ago and 5,000 yuan in 2020, according to recruitment posts published on Monday by the Taiwan-based company, the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer.”

The report continues to explain that “New iPEBG workers who get hired based on a current employee’s referral will get a 7,000 yuan bonus, up from 4,500 yuan in April. Referrers receive 1,000 yuan for each successful referral they make. Meanwhile, each new worker who successfully applied by themselves get a 7,500 yuan bonus.”

Building iPhones is a tough job that requires workers to focus for long periods of time. Often they live on premises in dormitories that are provided in what are, in essence, giant university-style campuses. As with many factory jobs, worker turnover is high — meaning that companies must do what they can to recruit employees.

Both of these numbers represent significant bonuses that exceed a month’s usual wage for Foxconn and Pegatron employees, just highlighting how keen the two companies are to get people into the building. It also shows that perhaps they should be paying their existing employees more, too.