Foxconn, a major Apple supplier, has instructed its recruitment agents in India to remove age, gender, and marital status criteria from job advertisements for iPhone assembly roles. This move follows a Reuters investigation that revealed Foxconn's practice of excluding married women from these roles at its main iPhone assembly plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. While Foxconn had previously enforced restrictions on hiring married women, it reportedly relaxed these during high-production periods.Â
The company outsources recruitment to third-party vendors who are responsible for advertising and screening candidates. These vendors had previously posted ads that specified only unmarried women, within a certain age range, were eligible for the assembly-line jobs. This violated Apple's and Foxconn's anti-discrimination policies.
After the investigation, Foxconn executives instructed vendors to standardize recruitment materials according to company templates. They also directed vendors to avoid using Foxconn's name in the ads and to refrain from including any gender, age, or marital status requirements. The new job advertisements, which no longer mention Foxconn, now list benefits such as air-conditioned workplaces, free transport, and a monthly salary of 14,974 rupees (approximately $177).
Despite these changes, it's unclear if Foxconn has fully lifted the restrictions on hiring married women, and Reuters could not independently verify whether more married women are being hired for these roles. However, the recent shift in advertising content aligns with the vendors' accounts.
The Indian government, which has been positioning India as an alternative manufacturing hub to China amid rising tensions, initiated investigations into Foxconn's hiring practices after the Reuters report. State and federal officials conducted interviews with Foxconn executives, but the results of these investigations have not been made public.
Foxconn's response to the media scrutiny, including the removal of discriminatory criteria from job ads, may be seen as a move to protect its reputation with Apple and the public, though some experts remain skeptical about whether it reflects a genuine change in hiring practices or a legal response to the backlash.
