In recent years, with the rapid development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, electric vehicles and 5G, the semiconductor industry, as the core track of global technology competition, has increasingly become the focus of national strategies of various countries. Talent, as the cornerstone of industrial innovation and development, is becoming a key variable that determines the future industrial pattern.
According to the forecast released by SEMI (International Semiconductor Industry Association), the global semiconductor industry will face a talent gap of more than 1 million by 2028, of which engineer positions are particularly scarce. This "chip talent war" that has swept the world has started at many points in North America, Europe and Asia at the same time. China Exportsemi will focus on Canada's practice in semiconductor talent strategy, discuss how it can shape its own advantages in global competition, and provide lessons for China and other countries.
Ⅰ The current situation of talents in the global semiconductor industry: shortage and competition coexist
The global semiconductor market continues to expand. According to Gartner, global semiconductor revenue reached $597 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to $624 billion in 2024. However, behind the rapid development, there is a serious imbalance between the supply and demand of talents.
SEMI data shows that in the North American market alone, more than 30% of semiconductor jobs will be vacant for a long time in 2022, especially in cutting-edge fields such as EDA design, advanced packaging, materials science and quantum computing, and the technical talent pool is seriously insufficient. In order to fill the gap, the United States introduced the "CHIPS and Science Act", South Korea formulated the "K-Semiconductor Blueprint", and the European Union also established the "European Chips Act...... All countries are accelerating the construction of industrial agglomeration areas and talent introduction plans.
In this global context, Canada, as a non-traditional semiconductor powerhouse, is also keenly aware of the industrial nature of "talent is king", and is seeking breakthroughs in global competition through its unique path.
Ⅱ The multi-dimensional practice of Canada's semiconductor talent strategy
1. Attracting overseas high-end talents: institutional innovation + technology orientation
In 2023, the Canadian federal government launched the "Tech Talent Strategy", marking the first time that it has explicitly included cutting-edge technology fields such as semiconductors in the national talent introduction plan. The core elements of the program include:
* Establish a fast track for U.S. H-1B visa holders, allowing them to work in Canada and open work permits for dependents;
* Set up special visa categories, and give priority to international technical talents in semiconductor, AI, quantum, clean technology and other industries;
* Promote the conversion of temporary visas into long-term residence to ensure the stability and sense of belonging of talents.
According to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, since the implementation of the policy, more than 10,000 high-skilled scientific and technological talents have moved to Canada through relevant channels in just six months, including backbone workers in chip design, software engineering, materials research and other fields.
In addition, Canada actively promotes the landing of multinational semiconductor companies. For example, Siemens EDA acquired Solido Design Automation, a local EDA company, in 2017, set up a regional headquarters in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and carried out continuous training of engineering talents around local universities. Aaron Genest, Senior Engineering Manager at Solido, has pointed out: "We need to not only bring in talent, but also build a sustainable engineering training mechanism on the ground. "Its operational experience provides a model for the ecological construction of small and medium-sized semiconductor cities.
Figure: The global battle for semiconductor talent is intensifying: the way to break the situation from the perspective of Canada's strategy
2. Strengthen the domestic talent education system: in-depth linkage between universities and enterprises
Canada has a good foundation in the field of higher education. The University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia (UBC), and the University of Waterloo all have international reputations in the fields of computing, electrical engineering, and materials science.
However, in specific tracks such as chip design, packaging and testing, and manufacturing processes, the curriculum of Canadian colleges and universities is still insufficient, and the relevant experimental platforms and teacher reserves are not systematic enough. In response, some universities have begun to try to reform.
In the case of the University of Sherbrooke, Vice-Chancellor Wendy Therrien noted: "We design our courses based on the needs of industry, emphasizing the combination of co-op and cutting-edge research. The university is also the second university in the world to offer an undergraduate degree program in quantum science, covering interdisciplinary disciplines such as quantum materials, semiconductor devices and computing architecture.
However, on the whole, Canadian universities still need to:
* Added core courses such as chip architecture, advanced manufacturing process, EDA algorithm, etc.;
* Establish joint laboratories with local enterprises to achieve the integration of scientific research and engineering experience;
* With the support of government funds, open up the retention path for postdoctoral fellows and high-potential young engineers.
3. Build an industrial ecology: Gather people with "ecology" instead of "jobs" to retain people
Although Canada's semiconductor industry is not as large as that of the United States, Japan and South Korea, its structure is relatively diverse. According to the statistics of the Semiconductor Council of Canada (CSC) in 2023, there are more than 550 chip-related companies active nationwide, covering IC design, IP licensing, EDA tools, packaging materials and other links, of which more than 100 are high-growth design companies.
Among them, the FABrIC (Fabrication of Integrated Components for the Internet's Edge) project is particularly crucial. As an industry-university-research platform jointly promoted by the federal government and a number of universities and enterprises, FABrIC focuses on the design and small-scale production of chips required for edge devices, fills the gap in Canada's manufacturing side, and serves as an important place for talent training.
Taking the local operation of Siemens EDA as an example, in order to enhance the stickiness of talents, it not only provides cross-functional rotation for employees, but also actively invests in and supports local accelerators and incubators, and increases the proportion of venture capital tax credits through policy advocacy, forming an ecological closed loop of "enterprise + government + start-up".
Aaron Genest points out, "If an engineer comes to a city for a job, they need to see more than one company in the city. That's why people want to stay.”
Ⅲ Bottlenecks and challenges in the promotion of the strategy
While Canada's multi-dimensional talent strategy has paid off, it still faces the following challenges:
1. Brain drain: the "siphon effect" of the North American market
Although Canadian colleges and universities produce a large number of outstanding graduates, more than 40% of engineering graduate students choose to work in the United States, especially the attraction of technology highlands such as Silicon Valley and Boston is difficult to match. Salary levels, R&D resources, and career advancement space continue to be Canada's disadvantages.
2. High-end experience fault: the "blank period" after Nortel and BlackBerry
At the end of the 20th century, Canada once had world-class ICT companies Nortel Networks and BlackBerry, but with the decline of the two, a large number of original high-end technical management talents changed careers or left the country, forming a serious mid-to-senior technology disconnection. At present, the Canadian semiconductor industry lacks technical leaders with more than 20 years of experience, which restricts the guidance and industrial planning of young engineers.
Ⅳ Some enlightenment for China and other countries
1. Talent policies need to be synchronized with industrial goals
The expansion of the education system alone will not solve the shortage of engineering talent. We should learn from Canada's practice and establish a three-in-one talent strategic channel of "education-immigration-industry" to realize the systematic closed loop from talent training, introduction to landing development.
2. Building a diversified industrial ecosystem is the key to retaining talents
It is difficult for a single leading enterprise to carry all the demands of talent development. Promoting the construction of regional industrial ecology, encouraging the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups, and establishing incubators, accelerators, and technical service platforms are the basis for attracting and retaining high-end talents.
3. Governments play the role of "ecosystem coordinators".
The case of Canada proves that the government's initiative in visa policy, talent funding support, and scientific research platform construction plays a decisive role in the semiconductor talent ecology. China can establish special talent funds, R&D subsidy mechanisms and joint courses with universities in key chip industry zones to promote the precise implementation of policies.
Conclusion: Competing for talents is actually competing for the future
The global semiconductor talent war is not a short-term competition, but a strategic competition related to the dominance of the industry in the next 10-20 years. Although Canada is not a traditional chip powerhouse, it provides a strategic sample for the world to learn from with its inclusive system design, flexible education linkage mechanism and increasingly perfect industrial ecology.
For China and other emerging semiconductor countries, only by facing up to and dealing with talent bottlenecks can we seize the opportunity and build a solid foundation in the next round of technological revolution. In the future, whoever has chip talents will have the pass to the highland of science and technology.
