Foxconn's iPhone factory near Bengaluru hires 30,000 in under a year

Foxconn has rapidly expanded its workforce at its new iPhone assembly facility near Bengaluru. In nine months, the company has hired close to 30,000 workers at its Devanahalli unit, making it the fastest hiring ramp-up seen at any manufacturing plant in India so far, according to a report by The Economic Times.

A key feature of the Devanahalli plant is its workforce composition. Around 80 per cent of the employees are women, most of whom are between 19 and 24 years old and entering formal employment for the first time. The facility, spread across nearly 300 acres, is emerging as one of the largest single-location employers of women in the country, the report said.

Many workers have reportedly migrated from neighbouring states to Karnataka to take up these jobs.

How production is scaling up at the Bengaluru plant

Trial production at the facility began around April-May this year, starting with the iPhone 16. The plant has since moved on to assembling Apple’s latest high-end model, the iPhone 17 Pro Max. More than four-fifths of the phones produced at the unit are shipped overseas, the news report said.

Looking ahead, Foxconn expects the factory to employ up to 50,000 people once it reaches full capacity next year. At present, several large dormitories are already operational to house women workers, while construction of additional accommodation blocks is progressing quickly.

Why Foxconn’s facility resembles a mini township

With further expansion planned, the Devanahalli complex is expected to function like a self-contained township. The long-term plan includes residential facilities, healthcare services, schools and recreational spaces within the premises. Workers receive free accommodation and subsidised meals.

The report stated that the average monthly salary is about ₹18,000, which is considered among the better-paying options for women in blue-collar manufacturing roles.

Biggest iPhone factory in the country

Foxconn is investing nearly ₹20,000 crore in the project, which is expected to become India’s largest iPhone manufacturing facility in terms of both production capacity and employment. The production floor alone spans around 250,000 square feet, placing it among the biggest manufacturing sites in the country.

Once fully operational, the Bengaluru plant is expected to surpass Foxconn’s older iPhone facility in Tamil Nadu, which currently employs around 41,000 workers. The new unit could eventually house up to 12 iPhone assembly lines, compared to about four at present, the news report said.

What it means for India’s manufacturing push

Officials quoted in the report described the project as a major milestone for India’s manufacturing ambitions under schemes such as the Production Linked Incentive programme launched in 2021. One official said Apple’s rapid scale-up in India would have been hard to imagine a few years ago and now stands as a strong example of industry–government cooperation.

India has become a key pillar in Apple’s global supply network. All iPhone models are now assembled in India from the start of production and exported worldwide.

This expansion has been supported by a growing local ecosystem of nearly 45 suppliers covering components and sub-assemblies. Apple also works closely with its partners on skill development, with new recruits undergoing about six weeks of hands-on training before joining production lines.