Why Apple is on a hiring frenzy in India
What's the story
Apple has accelerated hiring for key positions in India to bolster its manufacturing expansion.
The hiring spree comes as the Cupertino tech giant moves beyond making iPhones here, with production of AirPods expected to start next month, followed by iPads and MacBooks soon.
The company has listed a number of job openings on its website for supply chain and support roles in cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Delhi.
Production shift
Apple wants to expand 'Made in India' product lineup
The new hires will be joining Apple's existing team of over 200 employees in India's supply chain and support roles.
The company is gearing up to begin local production of AirPods for exports at the Foxconn plant in Hyderabad.
The move comes as part of Apple's effort to deepen its local manufacturing capabilities and expand its "Made in India" product lineup.
Partnership expansion
Apple collaborates with Indian manufacturing partners
Apple is working with its manufacturing partners like Foxconn and Tata Electronics to aid its expansion in India.
A source familiar with the matter told Moneycontrol, "Tata Electronics and Hon Hai are scaling up with new supply chain partners such as Aequs, Motherson Group, and Bharat Forge."
The source also claimed that more players will soon join the growing list of Indian suppliers Apple is in talks with.
Hiring surge
Hiring spree aligns with retail expansion
Apple's continued hiring spree for retail expansion here, coincides with its plan to double its supply chain as well as support roles.
The company has listed a number of openings for global roles in India.
These include positions such as global supply manager, raw material supply chain, mechanical enclosures supply chain, battery manufacturing design, manufacturing design, and modules new products manager.
Production boost
Production capacity in India to increase
Foxconn's manufacturing capacity here is expected to increase from 11% in 2024 to 21% by 2027, a recent JP Morgan report said.
The increase is intended to facilitate Apple's export plans.
A Nomura report found that 65% of all "Made in India" iPhones were exported in 2024, a number that is expected to increase to 84% in five years.