High Tech: Are People Getting Hired?

At the risk of being redundant, the answer to this questions many times is "It depends." We're already beginning to hear the words "jobless recovery" bantered about for many industries. Generally, we do not believe this will be the case for the semiconductor industry going forward. There are currently positions being filled every day. It is not a large number, but there is hiring going on.  Most of these positions fall into one of two broad categories. 

The first category includes positions that are high level and strategic in nature. A company needs to replace a CEO or bring on a CTO to focus development. These type positions tend to be filled whether times are good or bad. The second type ties more closely to the level of business. As business strengthens (or appears that it might) companies may add technical resources (designers, apps engineers, etc.), sales staff, or operations personnel.

There is a great deal of caution these days in adding staff due to the uncertainly about the level and stability of future demand. For many fabless companies, this problem is exacerbated by dwindling cash with a dim outlook for future funding rounds. It is "hang on to what you've got" and try to stretch the current organization as much as possible. However, there are fabless companies with significant cash reserves and strong demand that are adding staff.

As with the "it depends" above, much of hiring depends on the supply chain segment, product technology, and end-market focus.