Apple iPhone manufacturer Foxconn has resumed hiring at its Zhengzhou, China production plant.
According to Bloomberg, the hiring freeze at the company has come to an end in anticipation of the iPhone 5S and low-cost iPhone smartphones.
Foxconn placed a hiring freeze in February 2013 after iPhone sales continued to remain stagnant. A recent study found that iPhone and iPad sales may have dipped by as much as 19 percent year-over-year.
New workers being hired by Foxconn are expected to build next generation iPhone devices alongside older models that are currently still on the market.
Apple is expected to release the next high-end iPhone device and a low-end counterpart in mid-2013.
The hiring decision was confirmed by Foxconn, but the company did not say how many new workers are currently being hired. The Zhengzhou, China plant now employs 250,000 to 300,000 people. Foxconn has been hiring approximately 10,000 new assembly line workers per week since late March.
Apple produces so many iPhone devices that they require production at various Foxconn plans including locations in Shenzhen and Taiyuan, China. Foxconn also building iPhone devices in Jundiai, Brazil. Joining in iPhone production is the company Pegatron, which is located in Shanghai.
The next few months could be interesting for Foxconn. The company has come under repeated pressure from international agencies to end its unfair employment practices. Over the last several years, Foxconn has battled back against massive employee strikes, an increasing number of employee suicides, and various other issues.
With the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy IV both expected to offer tough competition against Apple iPhone devices, it will be interesting to see what happens in the smartphone market from mid-to-late 2013.
Do you think Apple will regain its iPhone luster with the release of the next iPhone and low-cost iPhone devices?