Outlook Supplement - Flipbook - Page 24
Forecast
tools that can flexibly handle various
glass panel sizes while maintaining
uniform process performance and integration into evolving production flows
will be a priority in 2026.
At ACM Research, our focus remains
on partnering closely with our customers to commercialize differentiated
packaging solutions, helping move PLP
from pilot lines into mainstream manufacturing. We continue to collaborate
with device makers to deliver advanced
packaging technologies that support
the industry’s transition from wafer to
panel.
Building the Workforce
the Moment Demands
SHARI LISS, V i c e P r e s i d e n t
of Global Workforce
Development and
Initiatives,SEMI
Talent is now core infrastructure
As we look ahead to 2026, I’m increasingly optimistic about where the
semiconductor workforce is headed, not
because the challenge has eased, but
because the world is seeing talent in this
industry as the strategic priority it has
always deserved and needed to be.
The scale of investment flowing
into semiconductor manufacturing,
advanced packaging, and research is
unprecedented. What’s
encouraging is that
workforce development
is now part of that
conversation from the
start. More leaders
across industry, government, and academia
SHARI LISS
recognize that talent is
not a downstream issue,
it is core infrastructure for innovation,
economic competitiveness, and national
security.
From policy to practice
Over the past few years, policy commitments have laid out important
groundwork. In 2026, we’ll see more of
22
that policy translated into action on the
ground. Federal priorities are increasingly aligned with state strategies and
employer needs, giving education
and training providers the clarity and
confidence to modernize programs,
emphasize hands-on learning, and
prepare individuals for real roles, not
just credentials. That alignment matters,
because speed and relevance are everything in a fast-moving industry.
Expanding pathways,
strengthening retention
I’m also encouraged by how quickly
the industry is embracing more flexible
pathways into semiconductor careers.
Four-year degrees remain important,
but they’re no longer the only on-ramp.
Apprenticeships, short-term training,
certifications, and earn-and-learn
models are proving that we can expand
access, reduce time-to-hire, and
improve retention at the same time.
These pathways are opening doors for
veterans, career changers, and students
who might otherwise never see themselves in this industry.
Making opportunity visible
Technology will continue to play a
growing role in workforce development as well. In 2026, digital tools
that connect career exploration, skills
validation, training options, and live job
opportunities will become essential to
how talent moves through the ecosystem. When individuals can clearly
see how their skills translate to opportunity, and employers can more easily
identify readiness, the entire system
works better.
Investing earlier,
collaborating better
Finally, I’m optimistic because the
industry is investing earlier, sparking
curiosity, building awareness, and connecting learning to real-world impact
long before career decisions are made.
The workforce challenge remains
| Supplement to January 2026 Semiconductor Digest
urgent. But in 2026, we’re no longer
asking whether we can solve it; we’re
focused on how quickly and how well
we do on a global scale.
Workforce Development
Challenges
CHRIS HENDERSTON, P r e s i d e n t ,
Semitracks
At the start of 2025,
there was a lot of
excitement around workforce development. This
excitement decreased
markedly following
the US Commerce
Department’s decision
to stop activities through
CHRIS
Natcast. Although
HENDERSON
Natcast is now basically defunct, the National Network for
Microelectronics Education (NNME),
through the National Science Foundation
and the SEMI Foundation appears to
still be moving forward. In the long
term, it still remains to be seen how
effective these training programs will
be, especially given the fact that several
of the larger employers of these potential
employees have delayed or mothballed
expansion plans, as we predicted would
happen. The economy in 2025 held up
reasonably well, and will likely hold up
through 2026, since this is an election
year in the United States, and the party
in power will want to see the economy
doing well leading into the elections. The
main negative factor is the employment
outlook. A number of firms have
conducted mass layoffs in recent months,
and this could weigh on consumer
spending. It is also not clear how much
longer the AI-fueled boom in segments
of the semiconductor market will last,
given the concerns about debt levels and
“circular financing” agreements between
many of the major players. We still
believe there is a longer-term trend in
place to “reshore” some manufacturing,
and this should create an environment
where the industry should be able to
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