Not Job Rank 1: Semiconductor Factory Worker
Total Employment Estimate: 29,703
Median Annual Wage Estimate: $33,056
Job Decline since 2006: 28.5%
Wage Growth since 2006: 0.6%
Analysis: High tech is far from immune from the job downturn. Three factors have conspired against the semiconductor field. First, sales have been off by 20 to 25 percent over the past six months. Second, companies are increasingly outsourcing the production of semiconductors to Asia (the world’s two largest foundries are now in Taiwan). Additionally, production has become more efficient: Bigger wafers are being produced (the wafers are used to make semiconductors), requiring a smaller number of workers.
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