Semiconductor companies such as Micron and NXP say expanding the sector will open up more opportunities for women. They are building a pipeline of senior women leaders by investing in supporting and retaining their female employees, expanding the talent pool, and identifying pathways for career advancement.
Micron, which has more than 4,000 employees in India, including contractors, has 28% female representation across groups and departments, with the highest representation in IT at 30%, said a country representative from People’s Organization. Sharmila Khan said. Sectors such as procurement, data science and design engineering also have healthy positions, she said.
EtechSource: Team Lease Digital
Powering up
At NXP Semiconductors, women make up 24% of the more than 3,000 employees in India, up from 18% in 2019. Hitesh Garg, NXP’s vice president and country manager for India, said nearly 40% of new engineering hires each year are women.
“As India looks to become a semiconductor manufacturing hub, we expect to see increased demand in a variety of roles in the semiconductor space, including design, system design engineering, software development, and manufacturing supply chain,” said Micron’s Khan. , emphasized areas such as engineers and operators. , Engineer, Materials Engineering.
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“As momentum around semiconductors grows, there is the potential for skills gaps within the semiconductor workforce. This also opens up opportunities for diverse groups to participate to address skills shortages,” she said. . The increase in participation can be attributed to the sector’s less than 10% pay gap and the emphasis on employee benefits such as maternity leave. “Career breaks, working from home, part-time, project-based work are possible,” said Munira Roliwala, vice president of growth strategy at Teamlease Digital.
Data shows that approximately 40% of firmware development engineering team resources are currently women. However, only 2 to 3 out of 10 hardware testing and development roles are held by women.
“Women typically prefer more software and firmware positions due to the nature of ease of work, while hardware requires more on-site testing, development, equipment operation, and certification. It also needs to be upgraded and moved,” Roliwala said.
in the loop
According to data from Teamlease Digital, women currently occupy approximately 32% of individual contributor roles and 28% of supervisory roles in the semiconductor industry, but only approximately 5-7% of leadership roles are held by women. do not have.
“At NXP, we are committed to increasing the representation of women in leadership roles, and to do so, we are providing access to early STEM education, which is essential to encouraging more women to enter the VLSI and semiconductor industry. “We are enabling a multifaceted approach, starting with increasing the number of Garg.
NXP India runs a Women in Tech program to train female engineering students in VLSI design concepts, and over 100 have been taught in the past two years, Garg said.
Micron offers flexible work arrangements, including hours, to help women balance home and family needs. The company also has a return program for female candidates who have been out of the workforce for several years.
Among the challenges women face is the pay gap at mid-career. Roliwala said men and women start out at the same pace, but during the journey, women may be unable to continue with legitimate factors such as family commitments or a spouse’s relocation, which widens the gap. That’s what it means.
Across the electronics industry, women make up more than 33% of hires in engineering, research and development (ER&D). They make up 26-30% of new graduate trainees in engineering jobs and more than 35% in service jobs.
Loliwala pointed out that as the sector becomes more digital and automated, more women will be able to obtain roles in design, engineering, equipment testing, quality control and development.
Wiring for success
Women are not only benefiting from the design-oriented roles created by India’s electronics boom. They are also used on the job sites of Foxconn and Tata Electronics, the world’s largest contract manufacturers.
During a visit to India last August, Chairman Young Liu said Foxconn employs about 48,000 people in India, 70% of whom are women.
India’s electronics market is valued at $155 billion, with domestic production accounting for 65%. Executives at a major electronics manufacturing company said women have better learning abilities and perseverance, making them ideal for environments that require precision work and strict quality control.
Assembling tiny parts requires dexterity and concentration, and this is where women excel, often better than men, executives said. This is a global trend, and female employees in these labor-intensive jobs have lower turnover rates.
The average age of women workers in many large establishments in Tamil Nadu is around 22 years, and they primarily come from the state, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and the northeastern regions.
Soldering, assembly, operating, technical, and testing roles are increasingly held by women, primarily between the ages of 18 and 30. As this trend grows, experts say it is imperative that companies prioritize the safety, security, health and comfort of their female employees by adjusting their workplaces to meet their needs. There is.
fix the system
To sustain long-term growth and increase operational efficiency in India, companies like Foxconn need to focus on developing a robust social infrastructure.
“This includes setting up worker housing, health facilities and transportation systems to attract and retain a skilled workforce,” said Dhruv Shekhar, senior associate at Koan Advisory Group. . “Foxconn’s plan to replicate the township model in India, similar to its facilities in Taiwan and China, is an important step in this direction.”
Foxconn’s Zhengzhou, China facility is one of its largest, featuring a vast factory complex that integrates dormitory-style housing, a hospital, entertainment facilities, and even a fire station. Shekhar said these townships will not only improve the quality of life of workers but also increase productivity and operational efficiency.
Taking a page from China’s book, the Tamil Nadu government has become the first state to launch an industrial housing project built exclusively for Foxconn in Sriperumbadur. The project was launched last August and can accommodate up to 18,720 female employees at Apple’s major suppliers. The facility, spread over 20 acres, was built at Vallam Vadagarh near Sriperumbadur at a cost of Rs 706.05 million.
ET reported in December that the company had completed a $230 million project to build dormitories for employees in Tamil Nadu. The project consists of six nine-storey residential blocks and two blocks for public facilities at the company’s Sriperumbudur site, which also houses a factory.
As part of the design and manufacturing ecosystem, as India looks to expand its electronics manufacturing ambitions, the country looks to get ahead of China and compete with countries like Vietnam as the destination of choice for major electronics manufacturing companies. It will be important to welcome women. Collaboration between government authorities and private stakeholders is essential to creating a safe, sustainable and worker-friendly environment.
Certainly, there are concerns that need to be addressed, such as the effects of aluminum dust and other toxic substances, maternity leave and ensuring adequate rest.
