"US Semiconductor Manufacturing Plans: Challenges and Opportunities"
The Biden administration's push to boost U.S. semiconductor production is facing a major hurdle: a shortage of skilled workers. To meet the expected demand, the U.S. needs 90,000 to 100,000 more semiconductor technicians and must triple the number of engineering graduates by 2030. Community college programs, like the one in Arizona's Maricopa County, are offering boot camps to quickly train new entry-level technicians. However, the industry is concerned that the timeline to hire new workers may not align with the timeline to train them. The shortage of highly-skilled engineers is also a challenge, as chip companies compete with software and social media companies for hires.