Industry information organization VLSI Research data shows that in 2016 revenue calculations (based on global sales of semiconductor equipment and services), Applied Materials once again became the world's largest semiconductor device with a scale of 9.876 billion US dollars and 17.9% growth rate. the company.
As the first foreign chip equipment manufacturing company to enter the Chinese market, Applied Materials has set up a global training center to carry out various 'star' talent programs, hold engineer technical events, and support the Shanghai 'Tomorrow's Technology Star' project. The way, the practice of local scientific and technological personnel training. In recent years, the company has extended the scope of this practice to the 'enterprise into the school'.
Behind the prosperity of the global semiconductor industry in recent years, the hidden danger of 'talent shortage' has attracted the attention of many parties including the International Semiconductor Industry Association (SEMI). As a global leader in semiconductor and display manufacturing equipment, Applied Materials is also working hard for a long time. Talent cultivation, in response to the shortage of potential industry talents at the global level, continuing the momentum of the industry's prosperous growth in recent years.
'Top recruitment challenge'
In January 2018, SEMI Chairman and CEO Ajit Manocha said in a letter to the CEOs of member companies that 2017 was a year in which the semiconductor industry broke through various records: Global chip revenue increased 22% year-on-year to nearly $450 billion; Sales increased by 36%; integrated circuits and semiconductor devices are expected to achieve further growth of 7% and 11% respectively in 2018.
There is also 'bad news' behind this. 'The semiconductor industry is struggling to attract new talents into the electronics manufacturing supply industry chain, especially in the semiconductor manufacturing field.' Manocha wrote, 'If we can't act quickly, we will see Growth is stagnant. '
At the SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) in January, Applied Materials CFO Dan Durn called the new talents the 'Top Recruitment Challenge'. Durn said the survey showed that 77% of industry executives believe the industry is Experienced a severe talent shortage. Manocha also pointed out that there are currently thousands of vacant positions in SEMI member companies in Silicon Valley, and there are more than 10,000 vacancies in the world.
For some time, Internet companies represented by Google, Amazon, and Facebook have become more powerful in attracting talents. In contrast, the semiconductor industry has high talent requirements and long training periods, and compensation is not necessarily more attractive than Internet companies.
In the view of Li Wei, director of human resources of Applied Materials China, the challenges of the semiconductor industry are high and the training period is long. 'The training of talents in the semiconductor industry may take more than five years.' She told the 21st Century Business Herald. , 'But as for the salary part, the design of the salary and welfare system needs to consider a lot of comprehensive factors, and the company's overall talent strategy has a great influence.'
Diversified, comprehensive incentive system
Talking about the overall talent strategy of Applied Materials, Li Wei believes that the establishment of a comprehensive compensation system and the diversity of the talent team are the most important components.
In Li Wei's view, currently in China, major semiconductor companies attach great importance to the retention and attraction of talents, and they are similar in terms of salary and welfare settings. 'Because of the different design concepts and company culture, some companies' floating salary is the bonus. There is more in the middle. 'She said, 'But in Applied Materials, fixed compensation accounts for a large proportion of compensation and benefits, which gives employees a strong sense of security and is the company's commitment and responsibility to employees. We also have a performance-oriented bonus system that is closely linked to individual, departmental, and corporate performance.
Excluding cash income, the employee stock ownership plan and the employee stock purchase plan are also important components of this compensation system. 'A certain level of employees, they can hold shares of the company, that is, directly give shares. This is related to their performance and level. Hook. 'Li Wei said, 'This has a very important role in our long-term talent retention, because stock holding is a long-term incentive.'
In addition, all of the full-time employees of Applied Materials can purchase company stock at a discounted price. 'They can sell when they think it's right, and enjoy the bonus that the company brings to the company during its growth.' She said.
'Diversification' is also one of the organizational development directions that Applied Materials adheres to, in addition to ethnicity, belief, age diversity, and gender diversity. 'The company has been working to recruit more female engineers for the past two years. One of our directions. 'Li Wei said.
Applied Materials has established the Women's Career Development Platform (WPDN) among its employees and has branches in branches around the world, including Shanghai and Xi'an in China. Applied Materials said that for the Chinese team, women before More concentrated departments are more for procurement, finance, manpower and other office departments, but the proportion of female engineers has begun to increase significantly in recent years.
'Taking college graduates as an example, the number of newly recruited new graduates in 2018 has not only increased by 50% compared with 2017, but the number of newly recruited female graduates in 2018 is showing a multiple increase. ' Li Wei said .
Local training of leading talents
"China's IC Industry Talent White Paper (2016-2017)" shows that China's current IC talent gap is 400,000. Compared with developed countries in Europe and America, there are fewer people with more than 10 years of experience. And the semiconductor industry's longer talent training cycle is related to higher entry barriers.
Li Wei believes that Applied Materials is currently experiencing similar difficulties. 'We are also developing very fast now, and a large number of talents are needed.' She said that the combination of theoretical teaching and corporate practice in universities is particularly important in accelerating personnel training.
Talents are bound to need to be jointly cultivated by enterprises and universities. Compared with the schools entering the enterprise, Applied Materials believes that the mode of entering the school is even better. 'The school is in the enterprise, and more is a short-term visit.' Li Wei said , 'Enterprises entering the school can bring the latest cutting-edge technology concepts to the school, updated professional settings, and also share technical cases for the technical talents with practical experience.
Prior to the cooperation with Fudan University, Applied Materials held a series of lectures on the development and change report of the semiconductor process technology roadmap in cooperation with Tsinghua University in December 2017, and plans to cooperate with more local universities in the future. Campus popularization of professional technology lectures.
Within the company, Applied Materials provides experienced new talents and partners to help newcomers grow through the configuration of 'teachers' and 'partners'. In addition to new employees, different work content and service years for employees, application materials The company also provides an exclusive, three-dimensional talent training model.
Li Wei stressed, 'Applied Materials hopes to develop a leading talent for innovative materials, especially in integrated circuits and advanced display manufacturing, through professional and targeted talent development programs, especially hope Develop more industry leaders with a global perspective. '