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AT A TIME when the US is looking to attract more skilled workers to semiconductor manufacturing, many current employees are rethinking whether they want to stick around, according to a McKinsey & Co report that underscores the chip industry’s labour challenges.
More than half of semiconductor and electronics employees said in 2023 that they are at least somewhat likely to leave their current jobs in the next three to six months, according to the report. That’s up from around two-fifths of workers in 2021. The most commonly cited reason was a lack of career development, followed by limited workplace flexibility.
“We’re going into a boom in terms of demand,” said Wade Toller, a senior adviser at McKinsey who spent two decades at Intel. “About a third of the population in the semi industry is over the age of 55. You’re starting to see signals that some of that population is becoming less satisfied.”
I suppose no great loss for a few folks on here with how they judge the US worker in general!
Maybe some business going to start to show their staff some respect and treat them as part of the team and not just work horses to be whipped until they keel over!
I could only hope this is true, and that this is true it was a worldwide issue. The larger the labor shortfalls get that would hopefully catalyze a change in how the semiconductor manufactures source their talent to be more inline with the rest of the chemical industry. And while it wouldn't effect me I wouldn't complain if it also led to increased technician empowerment. They are crazy smart and from my experience they are underutilized. You give them the right training and more operational freedom/independence and I think even the skeptics would be impressed.
This is not my experience here in Silicon Valley. We are all about stock and options. If you have a big job market like we do here the competition to hire people is fierce which means good wages, raises, and career growth, absolutely.
This is not my experience here in Silicon Valley. We are all abut stock and options. If you have a big job market like we do here the competition to hire people is fierce which means good wages, raises, and career growth.
To certain degree the free market mechanism will help to resolve most of the labor shortage issues, for example:
1. Companies will raise the level of compensation to attract and retain talents.
2. Move people or hire people from other countries.
3. Change and improve the manufacturing process to produce more and/or use less people.
4. Move fabs to or start new fabs at other suitable places or in other countries.
5. More automation and AI assisted operations and manufacturing.
Unfortunately, union leaders/members, politicians, and a big portion of employees will put most attention on raising the compensation as the solution. Often it's too late to alter the decline by the time they realize the higher salary alone is not enough.
