Foxconn CEO Young Liu’s Statement on Allegations of “Discrimination” in India Hiring Dispute

Foxconn has stated that they hire without considering the gender of the candidates, although they highlighted the significant presence of women in their workforce. Young Liu, a representative of the company, made these comments during the inauguration of a hostel complex for its workers near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

This statement was made in response to a Reuters investigation. The company also acknowledged some flaws in their hiring practices in 2022 and noted that they had taken steps to address these issues.

However, they strongly denied any allegations of employment discrimination. Following this revelation, the story became the subject of discussions on television as well as in newspaper editorials.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government intervened by instructing Tamil Nadu to provide a detailed report on the matter. Furthermore, labor officials visited the iPhone factory to question company executives.

Despite these actions, New Delhi has not yet released any findings. Foxconn shared that its main iPhone factory in India employs 41,281 individuals, with 33,360 of them being women.

Among the female employees, approximately 8% are married. The company did not provide a breakdown of these figures based on specific areas of operation such as iPhone assembly, where the alleged discrimination was reported to occur.

Foxconn has been expanding in India in recent years, manufacturing iPhones and products for other smartphone brands, and has future plans to venture into AirPods and chipmaking. Liu, the representative of Foxconn, has been engaged in discussions with PM Modi and various high-ranking Indian officials during his current visit, to explore the company’s investment plans.

It is worth noting that the story has been published from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by NDTV staff, except for the headline.