The world's largest electronics manufacturer has resumed hiring at a Chinese factory as it prepares for the next Apple smartphone.
According to a source, Bloomberg reported Foxconn Technology Group is accepting applicants to make the next iPhone. Employees were recruited at Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant. Located in eastern China, the Zhenghou factory currently employs between 250,000 and 300,000 people, according to Foxconn's spokesman Liu Kun. He did not comment on how many more people would be hired or on upcoming products.
The recruiting news ends the hiring freeze set last February.
The development of the iPhone 5S, or iPhone 6, comes as Samsung and HTC released their latest smartphones with the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. While Apple posted a shipment record for the iPhones during the December quarter, the May quarter may see its slowest sales growth since 2009.
Apple's Beijing spokesperson Carolyn Wu declined to comment.
The news from China is the latest about the iPhone 5S when Wedge Partners researcher Brian Blair stated Apple has been working with the world's largest mobile company - China Mobile - on carrying the iPhone 5S.
"We believe that Apple will launch the iPhone 5S at China Mobile this July, as it launches the next iteration of the iPhone globally," wrote Blair. "We believe this handset will be a TD-SCDMA model of the iPhone 5S and will likely begin production [in May]."
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple could be producing the iPhone 5's successor during this quarter for a possible summer launch. The next smartphone, according to their report, will be similar in size and shape to the iPhone 5. A more radical redesign is expected in the iPhone 6.