The global semiconductor industry is facing a shortage of female workers.

To address the female labor shortage, systemic changes are needed to encourage women to pursue careers in semiconductor technology at the college level and even earlier.

The global semiconductor industry is facing a shortage of female workers. (Photo: Tuan Anh/VNA)

At a massive semiconductor trade show in Tokyo last week, more than 1,000 companies, representing nearly every aspect of the supply chain, were on hand to showcase their latest technology to some 100,000 attendees.

But Catherine Thorbecke, a Bloomberg Asia technology commentator, said as she walked from her local train station amid crowds of men in suits, she wondered: “Where are the women?”

In fact, the semiconductor industry, and tech in general, often feels like a “man’s world.” So the fact that about 12% of this year’s speakers were women offers some hope. That may sound bleak, but it’s actually better than some other conferences.

This imbalance is not just an event or specific to Asia. The lack of women in the chip industry is a global problem.

A 2023 report found that women in the workforce ranged from 20% to 29%, and women in technical roles were just 10% to 19%. Those numbers dropped even more sharply in management positions.

Chip companies are in dire need of a shake-up in how they recruit and retain female employees.

The global semiconductor industry is expected to become a trillion-dollar industry by the end of the decade. The Semi Industry Association predicts that an additional 1 million workers will be needed by 2030.

As governments around the world spend billions of dollars to gain an advantage, policymakers need to realize that efforts to boost domestic production cannot ignore half the population.

For private sector leaders, there is a wealth of data showing that businesses with more female leaders perform better and are more resilient.

In the technology sector, the importance of diversity is even greater. Diversity drives innovation, while groupthink due to a lack of diversity can undermine companies trying to solve difficult problems.

Japan's tech ecosystem has faced criticism for not being innovative enough, falling further behind America's Silicon Valley.

In addition, women have been left out of the country's technology sector.

Japan has the lowest proportion of women who want to work in science or technology by the time they turn 30, and the lowest proportion of women graduating with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees among countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

At a panel examining the barriers companies face in recruiting and retaining female employees, the limited number of STEM graduates emerged as a major issue.

Addressing this issue requires more effort from companies, it requires systemic changes, encouraging women to pursue careers in technology at the college level and even earlier.

Government requirements can help spur business change, but they are not enough to support the early stages.

Meanwhile, promoting women to leadership positions is crucial to addressing the lack of role models and mentors in higher-level positions in the semiconductor industry.

Last week, Time Magazine named Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) CEO Lisa Su its CEO of the Year. The Taiwanese-born immigrant has helped AMD’s stock price increase 50-fold during her tenure.

Her tenure was the subject of a Harvard Business School case study, which showed that women are capable of leadership in this field when given the opportunity.

In a recent interview, Ms. Su said she is passionate about her work with the Global Semiconductor Alliance's women's leadership initiative, and emphasized the importance of connecting women in the industry for support and advice./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nganh-cong-nghiep-ban-dan-tren-toan-cau-dang-thieu-hut-lao-dong-nu-post1002363.vnp