(Yicai Global) Dec. 27 -- Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, is offering bonuses of as much as CNY5,000 (USD718) to entice dispatch workers to continue a few weeks longer at the world's largest iPhone factory in China.

Foxconn is offering one-off incentives of up to CNY5,000 for key workstation positions in the Zhengzhou plant’s manufacturing department, if dispatch workers extend their stay to March 20 from Feb. 15, when their contracts are due to expire, it said on WeChat today.

For non-critical stations in the same department, it is offering up to CNY4,700 per dispatch worker, while other departments are offering CNY4,500.

Foxconn has been bolstering incentives to attract new staff to the giant plant, which has more than 300,000 employees during peak seasons and is responsible for assembling almost half of the world’s iPhones, after some workers fled in late October following a Covid-19 outbreak in Henan province. 

Apple has said deliveries of its newest smartphone model, the iPhone 14, will be delayed, but the US tech titan will work closely with suppliers to restore normal production while prioritizing the health and safety of workers in its supply chain. 

Foxconn said on Nov. 7 that staff who stay until February will earn CNY30 (USD4.30) an hour. Those who left the factory between Oct. 10 and Nov. 5 will be given a one-off bonus of CNY500 (USD72) if they return. The campaign was well-received, as pre-registrations exceeded 100,000 on Nov. 17, when it was suspended.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi