The global semiconductor industry has undergone a profound transformation over the past decade. “Education programs and human resource development strategies must adapt to this new model,” said the professor at the Vietnam–Taiwan Semiconductor Workforce Development Forum on October 30.

In the past, most of the industry’s value came from shrinking transistor sizes in line with Moore’s Law. However, according to Professor Lin, “further miniaturization has become nearly impossible.” Instead, new value is now being generated through advanced packaging, new materials, 3D integration, and photonics technologies.

That change leads to the semiconductor industry no longer revolving only around design, manufacturing and assembly as before. Many new processes appear, requiring interdisciplinary knowledge workforce: physics, chemistry, materials, automation and AI.

In Vietnam, the semiconductor workforce demand is increasing. Under the "Program for developing semiconductor industry human resources to 2030 with vision towards 2050, by 2030 Vietnam aims to produce at least 50,000 personnel with university level and above, including at least 42,000 engineers, bachelor’s degree holders and at least 7,500 masters and 500 PhD candidates.

Professor Lin noted that Vietnam’s current proportion of high-level semiconductor talent remains low and needs to be strengthened. High-value areas such as materials research, chip architecture design, and 3D packaging technology lack highly qualified personnel. This is the gap that need to be filled.

Professor Konrad Young, Director of the Industrial-Academic Innovation Institute and former Director of R&D at TSMC, said that semiconductor engineering education should “start with the end goal in mind”, i.e., applying scientific knowledge to real-world practice.

He admitted that during his four years studying electrical and electronic engineering at university, he learned a lot but didn’t understand how to apply it. It wasn’t until he pursued his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, that he realized the true purpose of his studies.

Experience from countries with strong semiconductor industries shows that the role of post-graduate talent is irreplaceable.

In China, around 200,000 students graduate annually in microelectronics, yet the country still faces a shortage of about 300,000 semiconductor engineers. 

“In theory, that gap could be closed in just a year and a half, but after seven years, the shortfall hasn’t changed,” Professor Lin said. The reason, he explained, is that “only about 12 percent of graduates actually work in the semiconductor industry, while most switch to other fields because of low wages.”

In 2018, China’s semiconductor workforce consisted of only about 1 percent PhDs and 15 percent master’s degree holders. After the country tripled its number of PhDs and doubled its number of master’s graduates, industry productivity rose significantly.

In Taiwan, the world’s leading chip manufacturing hub, the ratio is even higher, with master’s degree holders making up the majority of the workforce, while PhDs account for about 3-5 percent. Thanks to this, companies like TSMC have been able to take on high-value segments such as advanced packaging, the sector which was once considered “low-margin work” but now is a key growth driver.

In the case of Vietnam, experts say that Vietnam’s current workforce structure “closely resembles China’s in 2018” and needs to be adjusted to become globally competitive.

The expert gave four action proposals, including increasing post-graduate training ratio, especially in specialized fields like materials, IC design and photonics; building long-term strategy to create continuous personnel flow, encouraging students to choose semiconductor field; combining with international schools to open vocational certificate and short-term training programs; and applying virtual labs so that students at many schools can practice and research without depending on physical facilities.

Another solution is building a semiconductor workforce reservoir, a mechanism to regulate labor supply-demand in the industry. “Having a ready reserve workforce not only balances the market but also creates conditions for flexible adjustment when demand increases or decreases,” he said.

A slight shortage is better than surplus, because “only when the salary is attractive enough will the semiconductor industry attract talent”.

Professor Konrad Young emphasized the importance of linking government, enterprises, and educational institutions to develop semiconductor talent. He noted that engineering students should also receive education in the humanities and communication skills to become not only technically competent but also well-rounded and empathetic professionals.

Praising Taiwan’s comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem, Vu Quoc Huy, Director of the National Innovation Center (NIC), said that by cooperating with Vietnam’s human potential, the two sides could form a strong alliance capable of participating more deeply in the global semiconductor value chain, nurturing a new generation of engineers, and driving future technological breakthroughs.

Du Lam