Under pressure to keep up with iPhone production, Apple's lead manufacturer Foxconn, is offering bonuses of around $1,672 to workers who return to the plant.
Foxconn routinely offers bonuses as competes with rivals for workers in the area around its factories. It also regularly grows and shrinks its workforce as production requirements require.
However, the company has now been facing a combination of Chinese COVID lockdowns, and riots by factory workers over pay and conditions. Having paid some rioters to leave the company, it is now increasing bonuses in its attempt to get back to full production.
According to the South China Morning Post, the new bonuses are targeted in what Foxconn reportedly calls a "returning geese" recruitment drive. That is, the bonuses are intended to attract back staff who left Foxcon between October 1, 2022, and November 10, 2022.
At that point, Foxconn lost tens of thousands of workers because they fled over COVID lockdown and poor conditions. The new bonuses come from Foxconn's Integrated Digital Product Business Group, which is specifically responsible for iPhone production.
If staff who left within those dates not only return, but stay for two months, they can get bonuses adding up to 12,000 yuan ($1,672).
Foxconn has been able to work around lockdowns and staff shortages a little, by switching some iPhone production to India.