The Labor Market for Engineers in the U.S. Semiconductor Industry

This paper examines the organization and geography of the labor market for engineers in the U.S. semiconductor industry. The analysis is based upon work history data collected through a questionnaire survey of semiconductor production engineers. Locational agglomeration of semiconductor production in Silicon Valley is accompanied by an intensive localized dynamic of labor mobility in which engineers move between firms in a series of short term employment contracts. Fluid employment relations and high levels of inter-firm worker mobility are shown to be an important dimension of the flexible manufacturing forms emerging in Silicon Valley.