According to insider sources and as reported by the Economic Times, tech giant Apple is expected to greatly increase its workforce in India, possibly creating around 600,000 jobs by the end of the fiscal year.
It is suggested that this move is part of Apple’s strategy to reduce its dependence on China for manufacturing. By the end of March next year, Apple’s workforce in India is anticipated to grow to around 200,000, with women making up about 70% of this total.
According to the report, Apple’s main iPhone manufacturers in India—Foxconn, Wistron, and Pegatron—have created 80,872 direct jobs. Additionally, other suppliers have added around 84,000 jobs.
The report also notes that Apple has become a leading source of blue-collar employment in India in recent years, with a notable number of these positions filled by women and new entrants to the job market. Since the launch of the smartphone Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme in 2020, Apple’s vendors and suppliers have generated approximately 165,000 direct jobs.
Apple’s manufacturing efforts in India began in 2021 with iPhone production, and the company has since grown its operations there. Currently, standard models like the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 produced in India are being exported internationally.
The upcoming iPhone 16 Pro might represent a major change in Apple’s manufacturing strategy for India. Until now, only the standard iPhone models were made in India, while the ‘Pro’ versions were exclusively produced in China.
However, recent reports suggest that Apple plans to manufacture the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max in India for the first time. This would mark a significant milestone, as these would be the first ‘Pro’ models both produced in and intended for the Indian market.