Semiconductor Technicians

In an October 2024 report, IBISWorld estimated that semiconductor and circuit manufacturing industry employment had grown 1.0 percent between 2018 and 2023. However, it noted that the average company employed fewer workers than it did five years ago.

Many semiconductor manufacturers have installed new machinery that can produce twice as many wafers as the old machines. This increased automation has streamlined the staff of many manufacturing plants. In addition, manufacturers have begun to build plants in overseas locations where semiconductors can be made more cheaply than in the United States.

However, by the mid-2020s new semiconductor fabs were being constructed in North America, while some existing operations were expanding. The CHIPS & Science Act, signed by the Biden administration in 2022, intended to strengthen the United States' semiconductor manufacturing industry and reduce dependence on foreign suppliers. This was important in the wake of geopolitical developments, including concerns that Taiwan, where many production facilities are located, could be attacked by China. According to an October 2024 report from Z2Data, 19 fabs were under construction in the United States in 2024. At that time, Texas, Arizona, and New York were key states for domestic semiconductor production.

The Department of Labor anticipates that, between 2023 and 2033, an estimated 3,400 semiconductor processing technician jobs will be available each year. This reflects employment growth of 13 percent, a rate that is much faster than the average for all occupations. Some jobs will arise from the need to build the components for new products, as well as to replace the many technicians who will be reaching retirement age. Jobs will go to the technicians with the most education, training, and technical experience.