Chip Experts See Talent Shortage as Main Growth Hurdle

By Alan Patterson, EETimes (July 21, 2023)

The global semiconductor industry’s shortage of workers is likely the largest impediment to growth—the latest example coming this week from a fab-construction delay announced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). Government stimulus programs like the U.S. CHIPS Act that are aimed at building secure regional supply chains are adding to the problem, according to executives and analysts interviewed by EE Times.

Compensation for fab workers has soared, but that’s not helping to increase the supply of qualified workers. As an aging generation of semiconductor engineers prepares to retire, chipmakers are having difficulty finding younger people to replace them.

In the U.S., where the CHIPS Act has spurred more than $200 billion worth of new fab investments in states like Texas and Arizona, positions for more than 100,000 skilled workers remain unfilled, according to global management consultancy McKinsey.

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