Apple reportedly winding down recruiting efforts, lays off all contract recruiters

In the past, Apple has relied in part on recruiters to bring in the best and brightest Silicon Valley talent, but that might soon change, according to a report from VentureBeat. Citing an unnamed source, the publication said Apple's "recruiting engine" has slowed down drastically over the past few weeks.

"You always need to have something new coming out to justify hiring," the person said, suggesting Apple is no longer viewed as a catalyst for innovation.

Aside from culling all contract recruiters, Apple is supposedly paring down the number of full-time recruiters on staff. In addition, those who remain onboard will likely see their pay structures shift, as the source said bonuses that gave recruiters 40 percent of a newly hired employee's salary have been shaved to between 10 and 15 percent. That incentive plan might disappear completely, the source said.

Finally, the publication points to the Jobs at Apple webpage, noting a distinct lack of advertisements for recruiting positions.

A fast-paced industry led by cash-rich firms like Apple, Google and Facebook, tech is a highly competitive, and lucrative, sector for new hires. Even Apple, the world's most valuable company, finds recruiting efforts difficult, most recently seen in troubles surrounding an initiative to build out Siri's artificial intelligence team last year.

Apple's hiring and employee retention tactics have also come under fire. Specifically, cofounder Steve Jobs allegedly struck illegal anti-poaching agreements with fellow tech industry heavyweights in a bid to keep top workers in Cupertino, a strategy that plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit claim suppressed base wages. Apple and Google last year paid out $415 million to settle the suit.

It seems that in scaling back recruiting efforts, Apple is moving to a staffing model fueled by so-called "acqui-hires," or purchases of smaller companies for talent. In fiscal 2015, for example, Apple purchased 15 companies, including Israeli imaging firm LinX, augmented reality company Metaio, speech technology firm VocalIQ and machine learning startup Perceptio. Employees from those acquired companies, including founders, now work at Apple on various projects.