COVID Lockdown Forces Foxconn to Halt Hiring of New Workers for iPhone 14 Production

A COVID lockdown affecting the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou has forced Foxconn to halt hiring, just as it was ramping up recruitment efforts for iPhone 14 production, reports the South China Morning Post.

Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer and Apple’s prime supplier, on Wednesday froze its hiring process of assembly line personnel until further notice, according to updates posted on Chinese social media by a number of worker recruitment agencies in Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan province.

On Wednesday, Zhengzhou recorded four new COVID-19 cases and ten new asymptomatic carriers. This sparked a city-wide lockdown from Wednesday until next Tuesday. The lockdown comes as Foxconn planned to increase cash bonuses offered to new recruits from 6500 yuan to 8500 yuan.


Fortunately for Apple, Foxconn has been able to continue production despite various measures taken by the Chinese government to control COVID outbreaks around the country. It's been able to do so because of the company's 'closed-loop' system that confines employees within its campus. However, the Foxconn still needs to receive components from outside suppliers and it will need more workers to accommodate demand for the next generation iPhone.

More details in the full report linked below...

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