72% of workers in Apple’s India factories are women

Women in blue-collar employment account for 72 per cent of the approximately 1 lakh direct jobs generated by Apple’s vendors and ecosystem in their Indian operations. The majority of jobs have been created in the last 20 months and the majority of female workers have entered the labour force for the first time.

The gender data is based on state and federal government information.

The Apple ecosystem, which includes the three vendors that build iPhones (Foxconn, Pegatron and Wistron) as well as component suppliers such as Tatas, Salcomp, Avery and Jabil, has become the country’s largest single-brand hirer of women. The majority of the approximately 70,000 women hired are between the ages of 19 and 24, with an average age closer to 21.

When it comes to gender, the Foxconn factory outperforms the other two, with 30,000 women workers out of a total of 35,000 — or up to 85 per cent. Jabil is the top performer among its component suppliers, employing 4,200 women (70 per cent) out of 6,000.

The majority of the hired young women have passed their Class XII examinations or have simple diplomas. Almost all of them are working on assembly lines. Apple’s ecosystem conducts a particular skill development initiative for young women that lasts a few weeks.

CEO Tim Cook’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to include a discussion about women’s empowerment. BW Businessworld