Chinese government reportedly helps the world's biggest iPhone-maker fill in labor shortages by recruiting Communist Party members and veterans
The reported government-led hiring spree comes after hundreds of Foxconn workers fled the premises to avoid strict quarantine protocols.
Chinese government officials are helping the largest manufacturer of Apple's iPhone, Foxconn, to recruit Communist Party members, civil servants, and military veterans, The New York Times reported on Friday.
The move is reportedly part of a state-led effort to fill in the factory's labor shortage in the wake of a mass employee exodus over fears of strict COVID-related lockdowns.
Foxconn, located in Zhengzhou, China, employs and houses more than 200,000 workers coming from rural villages and towns across China in dorms. The company told the Times that it's been working with local government agencies to hire more people to ramp up iPhone production and avoid shipment delays as the holiday season approaches.
Local government officials in Zhoukou, a city that's two-hours away from Zhengzhou, gathered this week to discuss Foxconn's recruitment difficulties and established quotas to hire more factory workers, according to a Shanghai Securities Journal report written in Chinese.
Recruitment notices were also posted across China's government-run social media pages, according to the Times. Foxconn will reportedly pay new workers up to 30 yuan, or $4 a day and promises them a 3,000 yuan bonus after 30 days if they start working by mid-November.
While China has a track record of deploying military and government officials during turbulent times, an activist familiar with China's labor trends told the Times that recruiting retired soldiers in particular is an unprecedented move for private businesses. He emphasized that older veterans may struggle to work in physically taxing factory conditions.
Foxconn's recruitment drive comes after hundreds of Foxconn workers fled its facilities in mid-October to avoid getting trapped quarantining there in light of a COVID-outbreak on-site. China locked down the area around the plant for seven days, which threatened to impact iPhone production heading into the holidays.
Some workers were filmed climbing over fences and walking down highways with bags of personal belongings, heading toward their hometowns in an attempt to avoid alleged food shortages among quarantined employees.
Unverified videos seen by Insider also show Foxconn workers protesting prison-like confinement in their dorms amid claims that eight employees allegedly died in a shared room, though Foxconn denied that anyone has died there.
The move is reportedly part of a state-led effort to fill in the factory's labor shortage in the wake of a mass employee exodus over fears of strict COVID-related lockdowns.
Foxconn, located in Zhengzhou, China, employs and houses more than 200,000 workers coming from rural villages and towns across China in dorms. The company told the Times that it's been working with local government agencies to hire more people to ramp up iPhone production and avoid shipment delays as the holiday season approaches.
Local government officials in Zhoukou, a city that's two-hours away from Zhengzhou, gathered this week to discuss Foxconn's recruitment difficulties and established quotas to hire more factory workers, according to a Shanghai Securities Journal report written in Chinese.
Recruitment notices were also posted across China's government-run social media pages, according to the Times. Foxconn will reportedly pay new workers up to 30 yuan, or $4 a day and promises them a 3,000 yuan bonus after 30 days if they start working by mid-November.
While China has a track record of deploying military and government officials during turbulent times, an activist familiar with China's labor trends told the Times that recruiting retired soldiers in particular is an unprecedented move for private businesses. He emphasized that older veterans may struggle to work in physically taxing factory conditions.
Foxconn's recruitment drive comes after hundreds of Foxconn workers fled its facilities in mid-October to avoid getting trapped quarantining there in light of a COVID-outbreak on-site. China locked down the area around the plant for seven days, which threatened to impact iPhone production heading into the holidays.
Some workers were filmed climbing over fences and walking down highways with bags of personal belongings, heading toward their hometowns in an attempt to avoid alleged food shortages among quarantined employees.
Unverified videos seen by Insider also show Foxconn workers protesting prison-like confinement in their dorms amid claims that eight employees allegedly died in a shared room, though Foxconn denied that anyone has died there.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
