200,000 More Workers Needed to Manufacture iPhone 13 Ahead of Launch

Apple supplier Foxconn is rushing to hire 200,000 more workers by the end of September to manufacture the iPhone 13 models, according to the South China Morning Post.

The 200,000 additional workers are needed at the world's biggest ‌iPhone‌ factory in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, ahead of the expected launch of the ‌iPhone‌ 13 lineup next month. Hiring enough manpower has been the "biggest bottleneck" to production at the manufacturing facility, according to the site's deputy general manager, Wang Xue, who was quoted by a local broadcaster. Earlier this month, it was reported that Foxconn was struggling to hire enough workers for ‌iPhone‌ 13 production.

The staffing goal is reportedly being supported by local governments, which have provided 100 busses to "pick up job applicants from their communities and drop them at the factory gates." Foxconn believes that it will be able to hire 200,000 new hires by the end of September "at the current speed of recruitment." Once hired, new workers will be fast-tracked into their position.

The Zhengzhou factory can accommodate as many as 350,000 assembly line workers and manufacture up to 500,000 new iPhones every day. The current hiring push seeks to combat ramped-up production for the ‌‌iPhone‌ 13‌ models, which are believed to be on track for launch late next month.