Foxconn Drops Age, Gender and Marital Requirements from iPhone Assembly Worker Adverts Amid Backlash
In a significant move, Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, has instructed its recruitment agents in India to remove age, gender, and marital criteria from job adverts for iPhone assembly workers, according to three people familiar with the matter. The changes come days after a Reuters investigation revealed that Foxconn had previously excluded married women from hiring.
The latest template ad provided by Foxconn to its vendors explicitly states that recruits should be "Air conditioned workplace, free transport, canteen facility, free hostel" and receive an average monthly salary of 14,974 rupees. The language eliminates any reference to marital status or age restrictions.
According to sources familiar with the matter, this shift in policy follows a series of reports about Foxconn's hiring practices, which had raised concerns among lawmakers, employees, and advocacy groups. Although both Apple and Foxconn have consistently stated that married women are hired for iPhone assembly roles, Reuters found advertisements last year restricting eligibility to unmarried women between 18 and 32.
Foxconn outsources recruitment for assembling iPhones to third-party vendors in India before interviewing candidates and selecting suitable personnel. After the original Reuters investigation was published on June 25, Foxconn instructed many hiring agents to modify their job postings to align with company standards.
Federal and state authorities had conducted probes into Apple's main iPhone factory at Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, after allegations of gender bias surfaced earlier this year. Sources told Reuters that while an analysis of recruitment data may suggest changes in the number of married women involved in the hiring process, it remains uncertain how many people would qualify for new roles.
Apple declined to discuss reported exclusions and subsequent updates to advertising by citing long-standing commitments to respect applicants across all areas of employment in India. The two companies previously confirmed hiring unmarried women but denied recent suggestions that they did not consider married candidates adequately.
Sources involved in handling these job postings were reluctant to provide information about the updated material as Foxconn had threatened those agents found violating its guidelines, stating they would lose contracts if their advertisements mentioned their names or included certain required qualifications.