Companies in other industries are not so fortunate. Due to industry growth and skills shortages, many microelectronics firms are willing and able to provide a range of employee benefits such as employee stock option plans, stock purchase plans, signing bonuses, and on-site exercise facilities or daycare. Employee appreciation nights at entertainment or sporting events are also a common way that these companies encourage good morale and teamwork. Good designers can make significantly more than the average starting salary with only a few years of experience. Many of the available jobs have never existed before, so rapid advancement is common.
Canadian firms understand that there is a worldwide demand for microelectronics skills.
They also recognize that their real strategic assets are their employees. Companies are grappling with the issue of how to retain good people. Employees with microelectronic skills are in demand with competitors across town, across the country, and across the border. Worldwide, research by Dataquest indicates double-digit growth for the semiconductor market for at least the next couple of years with 18,000 new jobs being created in the manufacturing side of microelectronics alone. The identification of what microelectronics is and the opportunities it can provide is very important.