Thousands Line Up for New iPhone Production Jobs at Foxconn Facilities in China

Back in late December, reports surfaced indicating that Foxconn was planning a major expansion of its iPhone production capabilities in Zhengzhou, China, with the company reportedly investing $1.1 billion and working with the Chinese government to recruit 100,000 new workers to the facility.

foxconn prospective employees zhengzhou
M.I.C gadget now reports that the hiring notices have gone out and thousands of prospective employees have lined up to apply for the positions.

On the 30th of January, thousands of hopefuls stood for hours outside a labor agency located in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, the largest city of Henan province in north-central China. The lines stretched more than 200 meters along the road, and the people who were waiting in line with their applications just hope to get a job at Foxconn, as the electronics contracting giant ramps up its iPhone production at Zhengzhou plant.

The report cites articles from the Chinese media noting that many of the applicants have prior work experience, with some of them seeking to transfer from Foxconn's other facilities in southern China to be closer to home.

Apple is of course in the middle of booming iPhone 4S sales following the device's launch last October and is now turning its attention to the rapidly-growing Chinese market where the device launched on China Unicom earlier this month and is expected to launch on China Telecom as soon as late next month. The company is obviously also looking ahead to the next-generation iPhone hardware that most expect will debut later this year.

Foxconn and Apple have come under increasing scrutiny over the treatment of employees in Apple's supply chain, with Foxconn being the highest-profile target due to its employment of hundreds of thousands of workers focused on manufacturing Apple products. Apple CEO Tim Cook has expressed concern over some of the allegations presented in recent media reports while also pointing to the company's continuing efforts on the workers' rights front including ongoing audits and outside monitoring of workplace conditions.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

Thursday April 24, 2025 5:57 am PDT by
Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports. The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of ...
ipad air magic keyboard feature

iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

Thursday April 24, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu. This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management,...

Top Rated Comments

thewitt Avatar
173 months ago
The saddest thing about this is the posts by people here who have NO CLUE about anything at Foxconn whatsoever, and only spew the liberal talking points.

I've been there. Seen the working conditions. Spoken with employees.

It's nothing like the bleeding heart hypocrites who send in their articles and commentary would have you believe.

Nothing.

Get over it.

China is a manufacturing giant, with conditions that are not only good for workers today, but are improving all the time.

You want to build product in the US again? You could learn something from a visit to China.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nagromme Avatar
173 months ago
Do you own any iWhatevers?
Or any electronics at all? Telephones and computers (especially non-disposable ones that go in a landfill after 24 months) are indeed “luxury” items, but they’re not just from Apple. They’re from every electronics maker. Microsoft/Xbox was in a Foxconn suicide story a few weeks ago, but that’s been forgotten...

The world is a mess, China included, and these issues can’t be ignored. But they most certainly can’t be pinned on Apple: doing that gives a free pass to all the companies who, unlike Apple, are not THE best in the industry at watchdogging their Chinese partners. Apple should keep improving, and clearly intends to... but at the same time, everyone else needs to catch up to how “good” Apple is!

Either boycott ALL electronics from China and equivalent places (I strongly respect that choice) or boycott all except those from the best company in that regard: Apple.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ryth Avatar
173 months ago
I didn't know "Slaves" had to line-up/apply for jobs...

Sounds like these people want the jobs and are HOPING they even get one of the positions....so lets stop with the slave labor stuff.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
voonyx Avatar
173 months ago
Because it's Apple-related news? Surely that's reason enough.

I find it strange that Foxconn (& Apple) are singled-out so much. It's not as if China had a great record of employee rights before Foxconn started supplying Apple.

Why? Because everyone's a human rights activist...as they line up to get their iPhones every year...:rolleyes:
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shompa Avatar
173 months ago
Where are all Apple employes that force Chinese people into slave labour in the picture?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DTphonehome Avatar
173 months ago
What?! Don't these unemployed, unskilled, poverty-stricken peasant workers read the New York Times?! Don't they know Foxconn is an AWFUL place to work? Hope they all left comprehensive wills and have large life-insurance policies!

(oh, and btw, /s… there's one in every crowd)
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)