Semiconductor talent gap addressed at SEMI Europe Brussels forum

SEMI Europe and partners are gearing up to address Europe’s semiconductor talent gap at the upcoming “Accelerating Europe’s Tech Advantage” forum set to take place in Brussels on October 2, 2025. This significant event will convene policymakers, educators, and industry leaders with the aim of securing the continent’s future skills pipeline and bolstering its competitiveness in the global tech landscape.

For readers of eeNews Europe, the forum serves as a crucial platform to shed light on the pressing workforce challenges confronting chipmakers and suppliers across the region. It also presents an opportunity to explore avenues for collaboration in the realms of education, training, and talent pipelines.

Growing shortage poses a threat to Europe’s chip strategy

Recent findings from the European Chips Skills Academy (ECSA) Skills Strategy 2024 report paint a concerning picture for Europe’s semiconductor industry. By 2030, the continent could be grappling with a shortage exceeding 75,000 skilled workers, particularly in the realms of hardware engineering and technical expertise. Despite a rise in STEM graduates, only a modest 28% opt for semiconductor-related fields, with less than 18,000 individuals entering the industry in 2022.

This scarcity of talent poses a strategic risk to Europe’s aspirations in crucial sectors such as AI, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, and defense – all of which heavily rely on semiconductor technologies. The forthcoming forum in Brussels is poised to chart out actionable strategies, exchange best practices, and foster collaboration among key stakeholders to address this pressing issue.

“The talent shortage stands out as one of the most formidable challenges confronting the semiconductor industry today. In a bid to fortify Europe’s long-term competitiveness, SEMI Europe, in partnership with the OECD and the STEM coalition, is committed to enhancing educational pathways and expanding the talent pool through strategic initiatives that underpin the industry’s future expansion,” remarked Laith Altimime, President of SEMI Europe.

Coordinated efforts and the way forward

Christopher Frieling, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at SEMI Europe, emphasized the imperative of coordinated efforts to bolster engineering and technical education, ensure alignment with the evolving needs of the semiconductor sector, and secure a robust skills pipeline that will uphold Europe’s technological leadership in the years to come.

The agenda for the forum includes keynote addresses by prominent figures such as Laith Altimime from SEMI Europe, Andreas Schleicher from the OECD, and Beatrice Boots representing the EU STEM Coalition. Following these talks, a panel discussion moderated by Victoria Cummings from SEMI Europe and Milva Carbonaro, coordinator at SPACE4GEO, will delve deeper into the subject, with a networking reception planned to catalyze further collaboration.

This initiative builds upon the European Commission’s Union of Skills and STEM Education Strategic Plan, which places STEM education at the core of Europe’s strategy to enhance its technological competitiveness on the global stage.