Tata Group may hire 45,000 women in 2 years at Hosur iPhone parts plant

Tata Group may hire 45,000 women within 18 to 24 months to work at its electronics factory in Tamil Nadu’s Hosur to bag more business from Apple Inc. The Hosur plant makes iPhone cases.

According to a report by Bloomberg, the factory, spread over more than 500 acres, currently employs around 10,000 workers, most of whom are women. Tata Group is reportedly trying to cash in on Apple’s bid to extend its supply chain beyond China, which is grappling with Covid lockdowns and political tension with the US.

Also read: Apple now manufacturing iPhone 14 in India

China’s loss is India’s gain

India still produces only a small fraction of iPhones and its components. Only in September, the Hosur plant hired around 5,000 women, the report said. In October, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had revealed Apple’s plans to shift a big portion of iPhone production to India and a fraction of MacBook production and assembly to Thailand.

“According to Apple’s plan, …Tata Group may cooperate with Pegatron or Wistron…to develop the iPhone assembly business,” Kuo had said. Wistron Corp. and Pegatron Corp. are Taiwanese contract manufacturers of iPhone besides Apple’s main manufacturing partner, Foxconn Technology Group.

Also read: Tata in talks with Wistron to assemble iPhones in India: Report

The Hosur development comes as Foxconn struggles with worries that a Covid flare-up at its main Chinese plant could hurt production ahead of the holiday shopping season. Foxconn, Wistron, and Pegatron have already ramped up iPhone output in India.

According to the Bloomberg report, women at the Hosur factory get over Rs 16,000 per month in salary, free food, and lodging within the campus. Tata Group is reportedly among several companies that are looking to hire more women to improve the country’s gender imbalance in the workforce.

(With agency inputs)