By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — As Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company prepares to invest another $100 billion in north Phoenix, a new report shows Arizona’s workforce is not keeping pace with the education and training required to fill the jobs the expansion will create.
Read more Lettuce sold at some Taco Bell locations linked to ‘explosive’ diarrhea parasite
State colleges and community colleges have scaled up programs to help meet workforce demand since TSMC first opened its doors in Phoenix in 2022, but a report produced with the Arizona Board of Regents and the Rounds Consulting Group shows the state still faces a significant shortfall.
Shortage projected to grow each year
Jim Rounds of the Rounds Consulting Group, who worked on the report, said the gap is projected to grow each year.
“We’re going to be short about 10,000 workers per year going forward, and it’s not just 10,000 by year two — it’s 20,000, then 30,000 by year three,” Rounds said.
Rounds said he plans to work with state leaders during the next legislative session to address the shortage.
Specialized skills in demand
Anthony Howell, an ASU associate professor of economics and public policy and management, said the semiconductor industry requires a specific set of technical skills that takes time to develop through education pipelines.
“Some of the main skills that the fab ecosystem demands — things like process engineering, photolithography, wafer testing — Phoenix, relative to other cities in the U.S., already has local specialization,” Howell said.
Howell estimates the new $100 billion investment will generate 10,000 to 12,000 construction jobs and another 12,000 jobs once the facilities are operational.
What’s at stake for Phoenix
Rounds said the outcome for Phoenix’s broader economy depends on how the state responds to the workforce gap.
Read more Man in custody after girlfriend shot dead at Peoria mobile home park
“It will if we respond in the right way,” Rounds said when asked whether the expansion makes Phoenix more resilient moving forward.
TSMC’s expansion includes plans for four new chip-fabricating factories on a 900-acre campus in north Phoenix, adding to the $165 billion the company has already committed to the region over the last six years. The company’s chips are used by Nvidia and Apple, with much of the current demand driven by artificial intelligence.
‘Largest foreign direct investment in the country’
Phoenix City Councilwoman Ann O’Brien, who represents the district where the expansion is planned, said the project carries national significance.
“Making it the largest foreign direct investment in the country,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien said the investment benefits Arizona residents directly. “Arizonans are able to get jobs here and grow their families. They don’t have to leave and go somewhere else,” she said.
No timeline announced
TSMC has not announced specifics on the expansion plan, including when construction on the new plants will begin. On an earnings call, the company’s chief executive, Che-Chia Wei, said the timeline will depend on the market situation, but the company wants to accelerate the work as much as possible.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Do you have a story you want us to investigate? Tell us about it by contacting us.
Read more Pima County Sheriff’s Department hosts annual active school shooter training