iPhone maker to employ 500,000 people in India in next three years

• Tata Electronics, which operates two manufacturing plants for Apple, is currently the leading job creator among the company’s Indian vendors.
• At present Apple’s vendors and suppliers employ 150,000 people in India.

World’s second-largest smartphone maker – Apple – is expected to employ over 500,000 people in India, through its vendors, over the next three years.

 “Apple is accelerating hiring in India. At a conservative estimate, it is going to employ five lakh people in the next three years through its vendors and components suppliers,” a senior government officer told PTI.

At present Apple’s vendors and suppliers employ 150,000 people in India. Tata Electronics, which runs two plants for Apple, is the biggest job generator.

Apple has plans to scale up production in India by over five-fold to around $40 billion (about 3.32 trillion) in the next 4-5 years.

Diversifying operations

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, Apple led the India market with the highest revenue in 2023 for the first time, while Samsung topped the chart in terms of volume sales.

The firm in its recent report said Apple surpassed the 10-million-unit mark in shipments and captured the top position in revenue in a calendar year for the first time.

Tata Electronics, which operates two manufacturing plants for Apple, is currently the leading job creator among the company’s Indian vendors.

Tata already owns an iPhone factory acquired from Wistron Corp. in Karnataka, making it the first domestic iPhone manufacturer in India.

Apple’s strategy involves diversifying its operations beyond China, with collaborative efforts in assembly and component manufacturing spanning across countries like India, Thailand, Malaysia, and others

Tata Group is reportedly building one of India’s largest iPhone assembly plants in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, to support Apple’s goal of expanding its manufacturing presence in the country.

The plant will have about 20 assembly lines and create jobs for around 50,000 workers over the next two years. Tata has also been involved in iPhone assembly, manufacturing the metal body at its Tamil Nadu plant.