{"id":764517,"date":"2025-01-30T13:22:03","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T18:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cacm.acm.org\/?p=764517"},"modified":"2025-01-30T13:22:03","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T18:22:03","slug":"staffing-for-semiconductors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cacm.acm.org\/news\/staffing-for-semiconductors\/","title":{"rendered":"Staffing for Semiconductors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G telecommunication, and the Internet of Things (IoT) increasing the demand for semiconductors, and to ensure the success of The CHIPS and Science Act<\/a> and drive innovation in the sector, the U.S. needs a skilled workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help secure the semiconductor industry in the U.S., the Biden Administration in November finalized a $6.6-billion award to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to construct chip factories in Phoenix, AZ. The world\u2019s largest chipmaker and supplier to major technology companies, TSMC plans to invest $65 billion to build three semiconductor fabrication plants in the state. The facilities are expected to create thousands of jobs and strengthen the country\u2019s position in the global semiconductor supply chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revenue in the U.S. semiconductor market is expected to show an annual growth rate of 9.40% between 2024 and 2029, resulting in a market volume of $131 billion by 2029, according to global data and business intelligence platform Statista<\/a>. Now the question is, will there be enough skilled workers to fill these positions to make the domestic semiconductor industry successful?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2024 report from the Semiconductor Industry Association<\/a> (SIA) found that the semiconductor industry workforce will grow by almost 115,000 jobs by 2030 (from approximately 345,000 jobs now to approximately 460,000 jobs by the end of the decade). Of those new jobs, 67,000 or 58% risk going unfulfilled at current degree completion rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe U.S. is expected to fall significantly short of the demand for skilled workers,\u201d the SIA report warned. This includes 13,400 computer scientists and 26,400 technicians. Failure to address this gap in skilled workers poses risks to the country\u2019s ability to compete in the global economy in semiconductor manufacturing and chip design, the SIA said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than one million additional skilled workers will be needed by 2030, according to Deloitte<\/a>. However, about 60% of new manufacturing jobs in the U.S. semiconductor industry will not require a four-year college degree, the SIA report noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Deloitte report suggests talent could be sourced from friendshoring<\/a> regions, recruiting skilled immigrant workforce, upskilling and cross-skilling in-house staff, hiring gig workers, or even joining hands with startups and accelerators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robust education programs must also be created in areas where the fabs are being built, starting even at the K-12 level, said Sergey Shchemelev<\/a>, a managing director at Deloitte Consulting and the firm\u2019s U.S. human capital semiconductor leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shchemelev noted that the semiconductor industry has not been especially attractive and \u201cEspecially here in the U.S., it\u2019s definitely not one that\u2019s been growing; in fact, it\u2019s declining, so now we\u2019re trying to get folks interested in it, especially younger folks coming out of high school, trade school, and community colleges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the problems is a \u201clack of transparency into the career path\u201d of working at a fab plant, he said. These companies not only need to promote what a clear career path looks like, but also company values, vision, and culture. That will make it \u201ca much more clear and attractive pathway for someone to join\u201d the industry, Shchemelev said. Those are known quantities at big tech companies like Google and Microsoft, he said, \u201cSo having that clarity into how you\u2019re going to progress and how you can grow your skillset, and how transferrable your skillset is and compensation, will make [semiconductor jobs] attractive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upskilling is not relevant for jobs in the semiconductor industry, maintained Gaurav Gupta, a vice president and analyst at Gartner. \u201cThat hardly works; to some extent, there is continuous upskilling, but in a lot of cases for emerging and new technologies, companies look for new hires.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For workers who do want to upskill, however, the focus should be on \u201ccombining a foundational understanding of semiconductor technology and circuits with expertise in an application area they\u2019re passionate about,\u2019\u2019 said Paul Farnsworth, CTO of DHI Group, parent company of tech job site Dice. \u201cFor example, if you’re interested in biomedical applications, integrating that focus with knowledge of semiconductors can open doors to innovation in electronics for healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since semiconductors power technologies like AI, high-speed communication, and integrated circuit design, building skills in related fields such as mathematics, signal processing, and software is essential, Farnsworth said. \u201cDeveloping comfort with hardware and electronics, alongside software proficiency, is becoming foundational for advancing in this dynamic field. Ultimately, aligning your upskilling efforts with personal interests while mastering these core technical areas creates a strong platform for future growth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an uphill battle trying to attract talent for chip manufacturing in the U.S. where the fabs have to compete with the big-name tech companies, Gupta said. Contrast that with TSMC and Samsung in Taiwan and South Korea, where \u201cthey are the premiere companies. But in the U.S., that will always be a struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Granahan, cofounder and CEO of iDEAL Semiconductor, agreed, saying the challenge to find workers is greater because of the CHIPS Act. iDEAL is in the midst of qualifying its technology and that requires a lot of reliability testing, Granahan said. A college degree is not required for this role; the company is looking for people who are \u201clogical in their workflows and [can] keep good records and be consistent in what they do,\u2019\u2019 he said, adding that \u201cWe\u2019re always hiring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To find people, Granahan has formed partnerships with search firms across the country, and also relies on recruitment platforms like Handshake, which is mainly used by college students and recent graduates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He remains optimistic that the tide is turning for the semiconductor industry. \u201cOne of the great side effects of the CHIPS Act is \u2026 the U.S. government has large megaphones. There\u2019s a lot of interest out there in semiconductors due to the criticality that\u2019s been communicated by the federal government [about] our nation\u2019s ability to produce semiconductors. It\u2019s a critical piece of infrastructure we need, so fundamentally, I think \u2026 that\u2019s driving interest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esther Shein <\/strong>is a freelance technology and business writer based in the Boston area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An expected shortfall in skilled workers poses a risk to the U.S.’s ability to compete in the global semiconductor manufacturing and chip design industry, the SIA says.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":764634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"0","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cacm_featured_image_credit":"","cacm_show_featured_image_credit":0,"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":13598,"post_id":53032}}]},"cacm_mu_open_graph_description":"","cacm_mu_open_graph_image":0,"cacm_mu_open_graph_title":"","cacm_plugin_open_graph_description":"","cacm_plugin_open_graph_image":0,"cacm_plugin_open_graph_title":"","video_embed_code":"","display_on_video_page":false,"lede":"

Demand is growing, the government is paying, but fabrication facilities can’t find enough skilled workers.<\/p>","table_of_contents":"","cacm_plugin_article_dl_pub_date":"","cacm_plugin_article_dl_url":"","cacm_plugin_article_pdf_url":"","cacm_plugin_article_copyright_text":"","related_reading_search_string":"","related_reading_posts":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,4],"tags":[],"issue":[],"section":[72],"content-type":[],"byline":[13598],"class_list":["post-764517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-architecture-and-hardware","category-computing-profession","section-news"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Staffing for Semiconductors","url":"http:\/\/cacm.acm.org\/news\/staffing-for-semiconductors\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/cacm.acm.org\/news\/staffing-for-semiconductors\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cacm.acm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/012125.News_.Staffing-for-Semi-G.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/cacm.acm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/012125.News_.Staffing-for-Semi-G.jpg"},"articleSection":"Architecture and Hardware","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lawrence Fisher"}],"creator":["Lawrence Fisher"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Communications of the ACM","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2025-01-30T18:22:03Z","datePublished":"2025-01-30T18:22:03Z","dateModified":"2025-01-30T18:22:03Z"},"rendered":"