Foxconn Relaxing Age and Marital Criteria in iPhone Assembly Plant Recruitment Amid Controversy
Taipei, December 28, 2023 - In a significant move to address controversies surrounding its hiring practices, tech giant Foxconn, the primary manufacturer of Apple's iPhones in India, has instructed third-party vendors responsible for recruiting assembly-line workers to remove age, gender, and marital criteria from job advertisements.
These vendors, who are responsible for scouting for and screening candidates before they are interviewed and selected by Foxconn, had previously been advised not to include these factors in their ads. Sources close to the matter revealed that following a Reuters investigation published earlier this year, which exposed Foxconn's practice of excluding married women from jobs at its main India iPhone assembly plant, the company has standardized recruitment materials to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination policies.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Foxconn HR executives instructed vendors in June to remove these terms and standards to avoid any reputational damage. Additionally, they warned vendors that their contracts would be terminated if they continued to use Foxconn's name in their advertisements.
One of the key changes noticed by Reuters is a new template ad reviewed by the news agency, which describes smartphone assembly positions without referencing Foxconn or age, gender, and marital criteria. Other recent ads posted on walls and circulated on WhatsApp match this template but do not explicitly mention Foxconn.
Reuters visited the offices of 12 Foxconn hiring vendors, including Groveman Global, which initially advertised for unmarried women aged 18 to 32, a practice that was absent in their latest ads.
The moves come as Apple looks to expand its production in India amid the ongoing tensions between Beijing and Washington. However, labor officials have been investigating hiring practices at the Foxconn plant following a Reuters exposé published earlier this year.
Foxconn's Chairman Young Liu had praised married women for contributing greatly to his efforts during recent visits to India, sparking hopes of reforms within the company. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether these changes will be a genuine effort to comply with regulations or simply a cosmetic response aimed at avoiding reputational damage.