| Sumario: | Part of a special issue on the relationship between computers and employment. Driven by advances in technology and an ever increasing demand, employment growth and earnings in the semiconductor industry are above those of manufacturing as a whole. Technological advances have increased the speed and capabilities of computer chips and led to employment growth in the sector that runs against the grain of recent American manufacturing history; on the demand side, this feat has been sustained by a seemingly insatiable global demand for what is the enabling technology of computers, consumer electronic products, and telecommunications equipment. Semiconductor manufacturers are also engaged in an expensive worldwide race of technology development evident in the constant flow of advanced products, high research and development expenditures, and costly fabrication facilities. This has necessitated a growing, highly trained workforce with hourly earnings significantly above the manufacturing average.
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