Apple's India Workforce May Expand to 600,000 Jobs by Fiscal Year-End
Apple, the tech giant, is expected to significantly expand its workforce in the Indian market, potentially creating around 600,000 jobs by the end of the fiscal year, according to a recent report. This strategic move appears to be part of Apple's efforts to reduce its dependence on China for manufacturing. By the end of March next year, Apple's workforce in India is anticipated to reach approximately 200,000, with women projected to make up about 70 percent of this number. Currently, Apple's three main iPhone manufacturers in India—Foxconn, Wistron, and Pegatron—have already created 80,872 direct jobs, while additional suppliers have contributed another 84,000 jobs, the report adds.
The report further highlights that Apple has emerged as the most substantial creator of blue-collar employment in India in recent years, with a significant portion of these roles being occupied by women and individuals entering the workforce for the first time. "In total, Apple’s vendors and suppliers have established roughly 165,000 direct jobs since the introduction of the smartphone Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in 2020", the report states, referencing the same sources.
Apple's manufacturing journey in India began in 2021 with the production of iPhones, and since then, the company's manufacturing footprint in the country has expanded steadily. Notably, standard iPhone models produced in India, such as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15, are now also being exported to global markets.
The upcoming iPhone 16 Pro could represent a major shift in Apple's manufacturing strategy in India. So far, only standard iPhone models have been produced locally, with the 'Pro' versions exclusively manufactured in China. However, various reports indicate that Apple plans to produce the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max in India for the first time, marking a significant milestone as these would be the first 'Pro' models to be both made in India and intended for the Indian market.
