GlobalFoundries hires as demand for semiconductor chips rises

Labor shortage in the semiconductor industry

The semiconductor industry is looking for staff in a decent labor market, as competition for talent intensifies and CHIPS and Science Act funds intended to spice up domestic manufacturing remain scattered.

In addition, your complete U.S. economy is projected to face a shortage of up to 1 million staff by 2030 as generative artificial intelligence gives recent impetus to this in-demand sector.

The US chip industry is predicted to face a shortage of 67,000 technicians, computer scientists and engineers by 2030, while your complete US economy will face a niche of 1.4 million such staff, in accordance with a study from 2023 from the Semiconductor Industry Association.

According to a separate study by Deloitte, the abilities shortage within the semiconductor industry could even worsen as a result of the worldwide economic situation and ongoing supply chain problems.

GlobalFoundriesthe world's third-largest chipmaker, is casting a large net to recruit talent. The company has been searching for experienced candidates, but in addition candidates from its own re-entry program and an initiative for ladies in construction.

The company makes chips for on a regular basis products, from electronics and phones to cars, in addition to components for aerospace and defense. Its key customers include General Motors And Lockheed Martin.

In 2021, the corporate launched the industry's first registered apprenticeship program, which is full-time and paid with advantages, with training for gratis to the apprentice. It lasts two years or less and requires only a highschool diploma or equivalent and an interest within the mechanical field. So far, about 50 apprentices have passed through this system, the corporate said. It has recruited graduates with technical associate degrees from regional community colleges and veterans retiring from the military for this system.

GlobalFoundries is working to fill a whole bunch of positions concurrently all over the world and hires 1000’s annually. That pace is predicted to proceed, human resources chief Pradheepa Raman said in an interview with CNBC. Raman said maintaining the identical workforce size is “not an option” for the industry given the increasing demand. The need ranges from engineers to product managers to corporate positions.

“That’s why we are very, very aggressive when it comes to our talent development efforts,” Raman said. “And if you don’t get traditional talent, [the solution is] Our approach is to train talent across disciplines, identify alternative talent pools and show people from different backgrounds that the semiconductor industry offers very attractive opportunities.”

Employees even have opportunities for advancement, and training and retaining existing employees is critical on this competitive environment. Morgan Woods, 28, began at GlobalFoundries' manufacturing facility in Malta, New York, in 2021 as a technician. Woods has now taken on a job as a training and development analyst at the corporate, overseeing the training of technicians, engineers and management, in addition to regulatory compliance. Woods said regulatory compliance is critical as the corporate expands into the automotive space and works with GM.

“As the demand for microchips increases, we definitely need more manpower to support the continued delivery of microchips and meet our daily goals,” Woods said.

Woods has taken advantage of a GlobalFoundries profit introduced in May that enables eligible U.S.-based employees and recent hires to receive a complete of $28,500 tax-free for student loans over their lifetime, including qualified loans for all sorts of degrees and credit-based certificate programs offered by U.S. universities and colleges. So far, the variety of applicants has exceeded 200, exceeding expectations, the corporate said.

“By participating in this program, I am in a much better financial position to buy a home in the next few years and also to think about expanding my family and having children,” Woods said.

In addition to creating engineering and computer science jobs, the CHIPS and Science Act funds will support the expansion of GlobalFoundries' manufacturing facilities in New York and Vermont. In February, the corporate announced a planned $1.5 billion in CHIPS funding to expand manufacturing capability. It expects the funds, together with local and state money, will help create roughly 1,500 manufacturing jobs and 9,000 construction jobs over the course of the planned projects.

The manufacturing and construction industries have also been fighting a labor shortage recently and are subsequently attempting to attract recent and younger staff to the industry.

“We believe that the challenges we face in recruiting can be solved through an ecosystem approach to talent development and that we can make our company one of the best places to work through the value propositions we provide,” said Raman.

How GlobalFoundries became the third largest chip foundry in the world

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