In India, Apple is facing productivity gaps that make manufacturing costs 5 % to 10 % higher than in China, according to supply chain analysis. The culprit is a workforce skills deficit, not a lack of capacity.

From March 2026, Apple’ s Education Hub in Bengaluru is delivering digital literacy programmes across more than 25 supplier facilities, targeting 100,000 workers. The initiative, developed with the Manipal Academy of Higher Education, covers Swift coding, robotics and smart manufacturing.

The investment is part of Apple’ s global US $ 50m Supplier Employee Development Fund, reflecting how seriously multinationals are treating workforce capability as a supply chain risk.

More than 50 % of the workforce in advanced manufacturing will need upskilling to meet changing demands by 2030

64 April 2026