iPhone 5s in production as Foxconn ramps up employee numbers

Contract manufacturer recruiting workers for its factory in Zhengzhou

The latest iPhone is thought to be in production as contract manufacturer Foxconn is recruiting workers in advance of this year's launch of Apple's smartphone.

The company is used by tech giant Apple to make its popular range of iPhones, and is reportedly recruiting workers for its factory in Zhengzhou, northern China.

The manufacturer is ramping up hiring "specifically for production of a new iPhone model", according to the DigiTimes.

The report claimed that Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory employs about 210,000 workers, considerably below the 300,000 staff employed during its "production peak" in 2012.

In April, it was reported that the Taiwanese company had been hiring 10,000 workers per week in anticipation of a summer launch of the iPhone 5s or iPhone 6, depending on which name Apple decides to go for.

The new smartphone will supposedly be very similar to the iPhone 5, but will include a faster, ARM-based microprocessor and camera, and will run iOS 7, the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system. It should also offer improved battery life.