Behind the Scenes of iPhone Production
iPhones don’t just poof out of thin air. The amount of hard work that is overlooked behind the making
of each iPhone is astounding.
of each iPhone is astounding.
The Pegatron Corporation factory in Shanghai, China is one of Apple’s biggest suppliers. Yet the base
wage of the workers there is only between $650 to $850 a month, corresponding to only $7,800 to
$10,200 a year. Thus, one months earnings would not make the actual product they are producing
affordable for the producer.
wage of the workers there is only between $650 to $850 a month, corresponding to only $7,800 to
$10,200 a year. Thus, one months earnings would not make the actual product they are producing
affordable for the producer.
Furthermore, the factory working conditions raise many concerns. 350,000 workers are forced to make
iPhones at an alarming rate of 350 per minute. Also, however, there have been many suicides allegedly
associated with the working conditions, “after just one morning, we all had blisters and the skin on our
hand was black… the factory choked with unbearable dust.”
iPhones at an alarming rate of 350 per minute. Also, however, there have been many suicides allegedly
associated with the working conditions, “after just one morning, we all had blisters and the skin on our
hand was black… the factory choked with unbearable dust.”
In addition, to compensate the rush before Apple’s annual release in September, the factory adds
temporary workers. These workers could earn bonuses that vary from $400 to $1,300 depending on
demand. However, because the sales of the recent released iPhones haven’t been on the rise, and in fact
are on the decline, the overall wages of the factory workers have simultaneously declined. In fact, many
factory workers were being forced to take days off. For this reason, many factory workers are
considering leaving or have left for higher paying jobs.
temporary workers. These workers could earn bonuses that vary from $400 to $1,300 depending on
demand. However, because the sales of the recent released iPhones haven’t been on the rise, and in fact
are on the decline, the overall wages of the factory workers have simultaneously declined. In fact, many
factory workers were being forced to take days off. For this reason, many factory workers are
considering leaving or have left for higher paying jobs.
In contrast, the base pay of Apple engineers is $116,449, corresponding to about $9,704 a month.
Moreover, bonuses average about $11,498. The stark contrast in base wages and bonuses may be based
on a “skill” level difference between the factory workers and engineers, however the difference should
not be as great as it currently is. The equilibrium wage and employment within the factories may need
to make proper adjustments to better support their employees, which may only be done with the help of
the Apple engineers themselves.
Moreover, bonuses average about $11,498. The stark contrast in base wages and bonuses may be based
on a “skill” level difference between the factory workers and engineers, however the difference should
not be as great as it currently is. The equilibrium wage and employment within the factories may need
to make proper adjustments to better support their employees, which may only be done with the help of
the Apple engineers themselves.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/01/business/apple-china-iphone-jobs.html
I really enjoyed reading your blog! I've always wanted to know more about this topic and I learned a lot of new information about the issue. For example: it was interesting to learn that the base pay of Apple engineers is a lot higher than it is for those who are actually making the phones themselves.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the wage differentials could also account for the costs of living in said countries. Housing and food is considerably more expensive in the United States than it is in China. Several websites I have found confirm my findings. This however does not excuse the poor working conditions which should definititly be addressed by an international company such as Apple.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp
https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/ranking