Apple Suppliers Struggle to Staff Seasonal Workers as iPhone 13 Production Ramps Up: SCMP

Ahead of the iPhone 13 launch next month, Apple suppliers are looking to hire more seasonal workers as production ramps up.

According to a new report from South China Morning Post, Apple suppliers in China including Foxconn are reportedly raising their starting bonuses to attract more workers ahead of the iPhone 13 launch this fall.

“Foxconn Technology Group’s factory in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, which produces an estimated 80 per cent of the world’s iPhones, has raised the bonus for new hires to another record-high of 10,200 yuan (US$1,578) if they stay for at least 90 days upon enrolment in its integrated Digital Product Business Group (iDPBG), which assembles iPhones,” the report explains.

Apple’s manufacturing partners have long had to bolster their workforces ahead of iPhone launches in an effort to meet the significant increase in demand for Cupertino’s latest handsets.

Fewer and fewer people are interested in assembling Apple products, which has led to fierce competition for new staff among the company’s biggest suppliers.

“Apple suppliers in China, including the world;s largest iPhone factory, are raising their starter bonuses amid stiff competition for the shrinking pool of young people willing to do manufacturing jobs,” reads the report.

Wages have also been increased in an effort to reverse declining demand for manufacturing jobs. In Zhengzhou, the minimum wage has more than doubled from 800 yuan to 1,900 yuan over the last decade.

Apple’s assemblers are said to be scrambling for staff in an effort to meet the company’s target of delivering 130 million to 150 million next-generation iPhone units in the second half of 2021 alone.

Mass-production is expected to begin in July and August before Apple makes its new iPhone lineup official in September.