Foxconn Taps into New Rule to Recruit iPhone Assembly Workers Without Excluding Married Women

In a bid to revamp its hiring practices, Apple supplier Foxconn has ordered agents responsible for recruiting iPhone assembly workers in India to remove age, gender and marital criteria from job advertisements.

According to Reuters' review of over a dozen ads posted by Foxconn's Indian hiring vendors between January 2023 and May 2024, the company had previously excluded married women from jobs at its main iPhone assembly plant in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai. However, during high-production periods, it relaxed this practice.

Following an earlier Reuters investigation that exposed these discriminatory practices, which contravened Apple's anti-discrimination policies, Foxconn HR executives instructed many Indian vendors to standardize recruitment materials and avoid mentioning specific age ranges or marital status in their ads.

They also warned the vendors not to use Foxconn's name in any ads going forward. Some agents were even told that they risk losing their contracts if they flouted these instructions. "The instructions for ads were: Don't mention the unmarried requirement, don't mention age, nor male or female either," said a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Recent changes to job posting content appear to align with these new requirements. Reuters found one Foxconn template ad that describes smartphone assembly positions without mentioning Foxconn's name, age, gender, or marital criteria.

While the hiring process remains unchanged, the new advertisements provide more balanced and inclusive language for potential recruits. The agent's role has also shifted as recruitment of assembly-line workers is outsourced to third-party vendors who are only paid a fraction of what a permanent employee would be.

Labour officials had conducted investigations into Foxconn's hiring practices after our earlier story, but neither Modi's government nor state officials in Tamil Nadu made the report public. The outcome of their probes remains unknown at this time.

"We do not work with Apple or Foxconn," said Dilip Cherian, a communications consultant who views his recent changes as "necessitated by media scrutiny which had an impact on reputational management".