iPhone maker Apple has accelerated hiring at key locations to support its manufacturing expansion in India, despite uncertainty over US President Donald Trump’s policies and concerns about reciprocal tariffs.
The hiring spree comes as Apple looks to move beyond iPhones with production of AirPods likely to begin in April and later iPads and MacBooks.
The American giant, which has over 200 employees in India's supply chain and support roles, has listed several job openings on its website for positions in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Delhi.
These hires will support Apple’s expansion through manufacturing partners such as Foxconn Hon Hai, Tata Electronics and other supply chain partner companies.
Apple has more than 3,000 employees in India.
Apple is hiring
Sources indicate that the Cupertino-headquartered company could double its supply chain and support roles. The move aligns with Apple's ongoing hiring spree for retail expansion in India.
Apple has posted several openings for global roles in India, including global supply manager, raw material supply chain, mechanical enclosures supply chain, battery manufacturing design, manufacturing design, and modules new products manager. Employees in these roles will collaborate with Apple’s industrial design, product design, and manufacturing design teams and its global suppliers.
“Tata Electronics and Hon Hai are scaling up with new supply chain partners such as Aequs, Motherson Group, and Bharat Forge. More players will soon join the growing list of Indian suppliers Apple is in talks with,” a person familiar with the matter told Moneycontrol.
“Apple will also open more global and local positions in India to work with these manufacturing and supply chain partners in line with its expansion plans.”
Export push
The hiring ramp-up coincides with Apple’s plan to start local production of AirPods for exports at the Foxconn plant in Hyderabad. Sources said production is expected to begin in April, even as Jabil continues manufacturing components for AirPods' wireless charging cases in Pune.
Apple’s key supplier, Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn), is aggressively accelerating its shift of iPhone supply chains to India. According to a recent JP Morgan report, Foxconn's manufacturing capacity in India is projected to grow from 11 percent in 2024 to 21 percent by 2027 to support Apple's export plans.
A Nomura report said 65 percent of all “Made in India” iPhones were exported in 2024. The figure expected to rise to 84 percent within five years. Apple produced 26.4 million iPhones worth $9.37 billion in 2024, with production estimated to reach 31.5 million units worth $11.89 billion in 2025 and 40.68 million units worth $16.87 billion in 2026.
The expansion into AirPods production and supply chain hiring is significant amid concerns over reciprocal tariffs announced by Trump, which are expected to kick in from April 2.
Apple has pledged a $500 billion investment in US over the next four years, looking to address Trump’s concerns over manufacturing jobs being shipped out of the country.
It is working to build an ecosystem of Indian suppliers for components used in iPhones, MacBooks, iPads, and AirPods. The US tech giant has engaged more than 40 Indian companies — including large conglomerates, IT firms, and electronics manufacturing service (EMS) providers — for this initiative, as Moneycontrol exclusively reported on November 21.
These companies include Dixon Technologies, Amber Enterprises, HCLTech, and Wipro Enterprises. Apple is discussing sourcing parts and components for its supply chain with these firms.
The talks with Indian companies reflect its strategy to deepen its local manufacturing capabilities and expand its “Made in India” product lineup.
Through its suppliers, Apple has also begun exporting components for AirPods and MacBooks to Vietnam and China, where they will be used in final product assembly. Sources indicated that this initiative aims to ensure that mechanical components such as enclosures, sourced from Indian partners like Motherson Group, Jabil, Aequs, and Tata Electronics, meet global quality standards.
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