Apple's major contracted supplier Foxconn has launched a mass recruitment drive weeks before Apple's new product launch, a move that industry insiders suggested could indicate the product launch will come early to minimize the risk of demand being hit by a potential global recession. The global economy has become increasingly unpredictable amid geopolitical conflicts, inflation and other factors, experts said.

The iPhone 14 launch and shipping date might be earlier than for the iPhone 13 and 12, which could be one of the reasons why Apple offered a positive outlook for the third quarter of this year in the last earnings call, Apple supply chain analyst Kuo Ming-chi recently said via his personal twitter account. 

"The global recession risk is still growing and unpredictable, so announcing and shipping the iPhone as soon as possible may minimize the impact of recession risk on demand," Kuo said.

In the wake of speculation about an early launch, Foxconn factories in the Chinese mainland have ramped up recruitment, with a one-time bonus for new candidates, two sources close to Foxconn recruitment told the Global Times on Friday.

A recruitment manager at Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant in Central China's Henan Province, said that they are offering a maximum bonus of more than 10,000 yuan for new candidates after they worked at the factory for 90 days.

"More hands are needed including on the production lines for making the new iPhone," the manager said.

Another person at a Foxconn plant in Shenzhen also confirmed the mass recruitment, which he said started several months ago. "But we are still short of hands, and need as many workers as possible," he said.

Worldwide smartphone shipments fell 9 percent year-on-year in Q2 2022 as demand has started to wane amid economic headwinds and regional uncertainty, technology market research firm Canalys said. 

While there are deteriorating expectations for the global smartphone market, Apple is reportedly still asking assemblers to produce 90 million iPhone 14 units this year, the same number as last year, financial news site cls.cn reported, citing unnamed sources.  

Smartphone market demand has become weak due to multiple factors, and if Apple could have its new product launch earlier, it could help to boost consumption and make its sales performance look good, Liang Zhenpeng, an independent industry analyst, told the Global Times on Friday.

"But given the sluggish trend of the whole global smartphone market, Apple may not 'escape unscathed,'" Liang said.

Apple's fiscal report for the third quarter shows that the company's net profit reached around $82.95 billion, 2 percent higher year-on-year. But the company is still dealing with inadequate growth momentum, especially in terms of profits, experts said.

Apple's net profit for the third quarter was $19.44 billion, down 11 percent year-on-year.