Apple's biggest production facility, Foxconn, is reportedly halting its hiring processes as an influx of new workers results in a shortage of quarantine space.
The South China Morning Post tells us that the hiring freeze will be implemented for three days, according to two local recruitment officials. This is amid the Zhengzhou facility's shortage of workers after a mass walkout emptied Foxconn's workshops earlier this November.
Following the alleged exodus of workers due to resurging COVID cases and alleged inhumane working conditions, the mega facility is reportedly in need of 100,000 additional workers in order to meet production requirements at full capacity.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, Foxconn's closed-loop production system mandates that all employees remain on the company's campus. Before starting work on the production lines, potential employees must pass a health inspection and spend time in quarantine.
SCMP tells us that new hires are required to be put under quarantine for four days before they start working in the facility. The report tells us that this is from a recent notice from the Zhengzhou production facility.
Losing Momentum
These recent developments are sure to cut the momentum of local officials' efforts to make sure that China will not lose its place as the biggest player in Apple's supply chain. Several headlines from earlier this month informed us that government officials in China are scrambling to patch out the issue.
A week ago, a Tech Times report informed us that local cadres are doing their part in urging Foxconn staff to return to the iPhone production lines by offering certain perks and assurances.
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Several ex-employees told the press that local cadres have tried reaching them and promising them better accommodations and compensation, but some of them have refused the offers, citing poor working conditions.
Additionally, previous reports tell us that the veteran affairs office in Changge County, China, has posted an open letter encouraging retired personnel of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to work at Foxconn's facility in Zhengzhou.
Local authorities' strategies are now yielding results, as SCMP reports that more than 100,000 applicants have entered their information into Foxconn's pre-hiring system. If not for the facility's limited quarantine areas, such numbers would have been sufficient to fill the facility's manpower gap.
What's Next for Foxconn
Insiders have told the press that production will resume at the facility once Foxconn finds a solution to its limited quarantine spaces. By that time, Foxconn is expected to lift its hiring freeze and speed up its goal of running the facility at full capacity.
According to SCMP, Foxconn has been attempting to address the labor shortage with its own incentives in addition to local government assistance. It has increased its daily attendance bonus to 400 yuan and given returning employees a 500 yuan (US$70) bonus this month.
