GlobalFoundries races to find semiconductor talent as demand for chips soars

The
semiconductor
industry
is
recruiting
workers
in
a
tight
labor
market
as
the
competition
for
talent
ramps
up
and
funding
from
the
CHIPS
and
Science
Act
designed
to
spur
domestic
production
continues
to
be
dispersed.

It
is
also
staring
down
a
projected
shortfall
of
as
much
as
one
million
workers
in
the
broader
U.S.
economy
by
2030
as
generative
artificial
intelligence
adds
fuel
to
the
in-demand
sector.

The
U.S.
chips
industry
is
expected
face
a
shortage
of
67,000
technicians,
computer
scientists
and
engineers
by
2030,
while
the
broader
U.S.
economy
is
set
to
have
a
gap
of
1.4
million
such
workers,
according
to

a
2023
study
from
the
Semiconductor
Industry
Association.

A
separate
study
from
Deloitte
found
the
talent
crunch
in
the
semiconductor
space
could
get
even
worse
due
to
the
global
economic
environment
and
ongoing
supply
chain
issues.

GlobalFoundries,
the

third-largest
chipmaker
globally,
is
casting
a
wide
net
to
recruit
talent.
The
company
has
sought
out
veteran
candidates,
along
with
candidates
from
its
own
workforce
reentry
program
and
an
initiative
for
women
in
construction.

The
company
creates
chips
for
everyday
products
from
electronics
and
phones
to
autos,
in
addition
to
components
for
space
and
defense.
Major
clients
include


General
Motors
and


Lockheed
Martin.

In
2021,
the
company
launched
the
sector’s
first
registered
apprenticeship
program,
which
is
full
time
and
paid
with
benefits,
with
training
at
no
cost
to
the
apprentice.
It
is
completed
in
two
years
or
less,
and
requires
only
a
high
school
diploma
or
equivalent
and
interest
in
the
mechanical
field.
Some
50
apprentices
have
gone
through
the
program
so
far,
the
company
said.
It
has
recruited
graduates
with
technical
associate
degrees
from
regional
community
colleges
and
veterans
transitioning
out
of
the
military
for
the
program.

GlobalFoundries
is
working
to
fill
hundreds
of
roles
at
a
time
worldwide,
and
hires
thousands
annually,
a
pace
it
expects
to
continue,
Chief
People
Officer
Pradheepa
Raman
told
CNBC
in
an
interview.
Raman
said
keeping
the
same
size
workforce
is
“not
an
option”
for
the
industry
as
demand
soars.
The
needs
range
from
technicians
to
product
managers
and
corporate
roles. 

“It’s
why
we
are
very,
very
aggressive
when
it
comes
to
our
workforce
development
efforts,”
Raman
said.
“And
if
you’re
not
getting
traditional
talent,
[the
solution
is]
cross-training
talent,
identifying
alternate
talent
pools,
people
who
are
doing
things
in
different
fields,
showing
them
that
this
is
a
very
welcoming
set
of
opportunities
that
exists
within
the
semiconductor
industry,
is
our
approach.”

Workers
also
have
room
for
advancement,
and
training
and
retaining
existing
workers
is
key
in
this
competitive
environment.
Morgan
Woods,
28,
started
out
in
Malta,
New
York,
at
GlobalFoundries’
fab
facility
as
a
technician
in
2021.
Woods
has
now
moved
into
a
training
and
development
analyst
role
with
the
company,
overseeing
training
for
technicians,
engineers
and
management,
plus
ensuring
compliance.
Woods
said
compliance
is
crucial
as
the
company
expands
into
the
automotive
space,
working
with
GM.

“As
the
demand
for
the
microchips
increases,
we
definitely
need
more
manpower
to
help
support
the
constant
rollout
of
microchips
and
meeting
our
daily
targets,”
Woods
said. 

Woods
has
taken
advantage
of
a
benefit
from
GlobalFoundries
launched
in
May,
allowing
eligible
U.S.-based
employees
and
new
hires
to
receive
a
tax-free
lifetime
total
of
$28,500
toward
student
debt.
It
includes
qualified
loans
for
all
degree
types
and
credit-based
certificate
programs
offered
by
U.S.
universities
and
colleges.
So
far,
the
number
of
applicants
has
topped
200,
exceeding
expectations,
the
company
said.

“By
participating
in
this
program,
I
will
be
in
a
much
better
financial
position
to
purchase
a
home
within
the
next
few
years,
as
well
as
look
at
expanding
my
family
and
having
children,”
Woods
said. 

Beyond
helping
to
create
roles
in
engineering
and
computer
science,
funding
from
the
CHIPS
and
Science
Act
will
also
bolster
growth
for
GlobalFoundries’
manufacturing
fabs
in
New
York
and
Vermont.
In
February,
the
company

announced
$1.5
billion
in
planned
CHIPS
funding
to
expand
manufacturing
capacity.
It
projects
that
funding,
along
with
local
and
state
money,
will
help
create
some
1,500
manufacturing
jobs
and
9,000
construction
jobs
over
the
lifetime
of
planned
projects.

Manufacturing
and
construction

have
faced
worker
shortages
of
their
own
recently,
and
aim
to
lure
new
and
younger
hires
to
the
field.

“We
believe
the
challenges
that
we
face
in
recruiting
can
be
solved
through
an
ecosystem
approach
of
workforce
development
and
making
our
organization
one
of
the
best
places
to
work
through
the
benefits
offerings
that
we
have
been
providing,”
Raman
said.