Foxconn Technology Group may hire workers at a slower pace for its new Wisconsin plant, adding to mounting gloom over the state of the technology industry and global trade.
The biggest assembler of Apple Inc.’s iPhones, known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. in Taiwan and Asia, said it has adjusted the timeframe for recruitment and hiring at its $10 billion manufacturing facility in the U.S. state.
“While Foxconn remains committed to creating 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin, we have adjusted our recruitment and hiring timeline,” the company said in a statement Friday. “We need to have the agility to adapt to a range of factors, including global economic conditions.”
The company in a separate emailed statement on Saturday said that hiring for the facility is still ongoing. Foxconn, which set up its North American headquarters in Milwaukee, said earlier the factory has already created more than 1,000 jobs.
The announcement comes amid mounting signals demand for Apple’s iPhone is flagging. Apple is said to plan hiring cutbacks for some divisions.
In November, Bloomberg News had reported that Foxconn is planning steep reduction in its expenses in 2019.
By Debby Wu and Samson Ellis
