Apple Supplier Foxconn Ditches Age, Gender Restrictions in Indian iPhone Assembly Job Ads

New Delhi, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Apple supplier Foxconn has ordered its hiring agents in India to remove age, gender and marital criteria from job advertisements for iPhone assembly workers, days after Reuters revealed the company had excluded married women from jobs at its main India factory.

The move follows strict guidelines provided by Foxconn's human resources executives, who told recruiters not to mention the unmarried requirement, age or gender in ads and warned them that doing so would lead to contract termination. The guidance was part of efforts to align recruitment materials with companies' anti-discrimination policies.

An investigation by Reuters found that prior to this guidance, hundreds of advertising posts for iPhone assembly positions made no reference to Foxconn's name, nor did they specify any age or gender requirements.

Foxconn, which employs thousands of women at its factory in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, has relaxed a restriction that previously excluded married women from jobs during high-production periods.

The changes have sparked hopes that more married women will be hired for roles at the iPhone factory. However, the company continues to prioritize younger workers.

Experts say that while these changes indicate an effort by Foxconn and Apple to distance themselves from previous practices, it remains unclear whether there has been a genuine shift in hiring policies or just a response to reputational concerns.

"We'll need to see more evidence than just ad templates if we believe this is a genuine change of heart," said Dilip Cherian, a communications consultant who tracks Indian companies' employment practices.