Foxconn, a major Apple supplier, has instructed recruitment agencies in India to remove references to age, gender, marital status, and the company’s name from job advertisements for iPhone assembly workers.
This directive follows a Reuters investigation published in June, which uncovered that Foxconn had been excluding married women from employment at its main iPhone assembly plant in India, although the policy was occasionally relaxed during peak production periods.
For some context, Foxconn employs thousands of women at its Sriperumbudur facility near Chennai, outsources the hiring of assembly-line workers to third-party recruitment agencies. These agencies are responsible for sourcing and screening candidates, who are then interviewed and selected by Foxconn.
In June 2023, Reuters published an investigation revealing that Foxconn’s Indian hiring vendors had advertised iPhone assembly jobs with strict requirements which said that applicants must be unmarried women of a certain age. These requirements directly contradicted both Foxconn’s and Apple’s anti-discrimination policies. The job ads, which were posted by recruitment agencies working on behalf of Foxconn, also specified gender preferences and excluded married women from applying, although these restrictions were sometimes relaxed during peak production periods.
The big revelation prompted an immediate response from Foxconn, which instructed its Indian recruitment agencies to revise their job advertisements to comply with company standards. Foxconn’s HR department reportedly warned agencies not to mention the company’s name in ads and to remove any references to marital status, age, or gender.
They also told the agencies not to speak to the media. According to one agency source, cited by Reuters, the Foxconn HR had warned them that their contracts would be terminated if the company’s name was used in job ads, or if any reference to marital status or age was included.
The revised instructions for the job ads emphasized that no mention should be made of marital status, age, or gender. One recruitment agent, speaking anonymously, explained that Foxconn had instructed vendors to eliminate the “unmarried” requirement from ads.
Foxconn declined to respond to questions about the changes in recruitment practices or whether it had lifted restrictions on hiring married women for assembly roles. Apple also declined to comment on this matter. Both companies have previously stated that Foxconn does hire married women in India.
Although Reuters News agency could not confirm whether Foxconn has increased the hiring of married women, recent changes to the recruitment ads are consistent with the accounts from hiring agents. Later, One example reviewed by Reuters showed a Foxconn job ad that made no reference to age, gender, or marital status. Instead, it listed benefits such as air-conditioned workspaces, free transport, a canteen, and a salary of around Rs 14,974 which is $177 per month.
In October, during a visit to Sriperumbudur, Reuters had reviewed multiple ads posted by Foxconn’s recruitment vendors, some in Tamil, and found that the text aligned with the new templates. Although the ads did not identify Foxconn as the employer, two out of three recruitment sources confirmed that the positions were for Foxconn’s assembly line reported Reuters citing sources.
Nonetheless, One hiring agency, Proodle, confirmed that it only used the ads provided by Foxconn. Another agency, Groveman Global, had previously posted ads in 2023 targeting unmarried women aged 18-32 for mobile manufacturing roles. However, in ads reviewed in October, these age and marital status restrictions were no longer present.
Foxconn’s Chairman, Young Liu, visited India in August and acknowledged the significant contribution of married women to the company’s workforce. During his visit, Liu also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss Foxconn’s investment plans in India.
As world’s largest supplier of Apple products, Foxconn’s actions are likely to influence other manufacturers and recruiters in the region.
