Workers at a production workshop of Foxconn's technology park in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province on September 4, 2021. The park is a major global smartphone manufacturing base. Photo: VCG

Foxconn Zhengzhou plant in Central China's Henan Province, the iPhone's largest manufacturing base, is picking up pace toward full resumption of production backed by the local government.

The Foxconn plant, which faced a staff shortage in November, is undertaking mass recruitment to replenish its workers.  An industry expert predicted that the plant could reach full production resumption in December.

Two sources close to the recruitment team said that at least 1,000 people are needed for the iDPBG group, the production sector for iPhones.

Foxconn is offering the highest salary ever, about 13,000 yuan ($1,859) per month, with some attendance requirements. 

Many people are applying, and "if you apply today, you will have to wait at least tomorrow to get feedback," a Foxconn recruitment manager told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The recruitment by the world's largest iPhone plant is buoyed by the government's efforts in optimizing epidemic control measures in the region, with the latest adjustment now taking place, the Global Times learned.

For example, Foxconn has dropped the requirement for new employees to undergo five-day centralized quarantine before commencing work, according to a notice issued by the company's Zhengzhou plant on Monday.

The factory also expanded the scope of hiring - previously, it was only for local residents in Zhengzhou, but now it is recruiting people from all over Henan Province.

"New candidates still need to provide 48-hour negative nucleic acid test results before starting to work, and follow epidemic control measures at the compound, including having a nucleic acid test every day," a recruitment manager said.

But they are able to leave and enter the compound as they want, since closed-loop management has been lifted, the person added.

The 20 optimized anti-epidemic measures have provided new guidelines for epidemic response while stabilize production, which is restoring confidence for companies, workers and clients while securing supply chain, Ma Jihua, an independent industry analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

So far, 2,414 out of 2,558 monitored industrial enterprises above designated size in Zhengzhou are operating normally, accounting for more than 94 percent of the total, according to media reports.

Production of iPhones could have slumped by as much as 30 percent at the plant in November, Reuters reported, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

Despite impact from the epidemic, Foxconn's full production resumption will be much faster than for many other industry players, since its production lines have been running under closed-loop management, which enables it to quickly restore full operation, Ma said.

Ma predicted that the plant's production capacity can be fully restored later this month.