Apple Ecosystem Generated More Than 1.5 Lakh Jobs, Under PLI, Since 2021, In India: Report

Since the introduction of the government's PLI scheme for smartphones in August 2021, the Apple ecosystem has directly provided employment to more than 150,000 individuals.

Since the introduction of the government's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for smartphones in August 2021, the Apple ecosystem has directly provided employment to more than 150,000 individuals, said a new report by The Economic Times on Monday. This achievement establishes the iPhone maker as the leading creator of blue-collar jobs in India.

The majority of these employees are young adults aged between 19 and 24, many of whom are entering the job market for the first time, the report added.

The report further indicates that approximately 300,000 additional jobs have been created indirectly. In addition to its direct employment, Cupertino, California-headquartered Apple has nearly 3,000 employees in India. Its iOS app development ecosystem also contributes to supporting over 1 million jobs. This strategic focus on India, the world's second-largest smartphone market, comes amidst geopolitical tensions and market fluctuations in the US and China.

It is to be noted that Apple commenced iPhone manufacturing operations in India back in 2017. Since then, it has collaborated with suppliers and contract manufacturers to assemble the latest iPhone models and progressively produce more components locally. The three main contract manufacturers - Foxconn, Wistron, and Pegatron - have collectively generated over 77,000 direct jobs in the country.

Moreover, the rapidly expanding Apple supplier ecosystem has led to the creation of over 70,000 new direct jobs. Significant contributors to job creation among Apple suppliers include Tata Electronics, Salcomp Technologies, Foxlink, and Sunwoda.

Additionally, Avary Technologies, CCL Industries, and Flex have contributed to the creation of thousands of new jobs. In order to support the growth of this ecosystem, Apple recently initiated a women's health educational programme as part of its $50-million Supplier Employee Development Fund.

This comes days after Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forward-thinking Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme continues to reach new milestones in production, exports and job creation. In a social media post on X, formerly Twitter, the Union minister announced that iPhone maker Apple achieved over Rs 1 lakh crore worth of iPhone production within 11 months of FY24 under the PLI scheme.