The ongoing problem with the supply chain of shipments of chips has affected the cost of every electronics that’s being manufactured. And this problem has been occurring for a year and a half when the pandemic stuck us well. However, reports indicate that we might just have a new problem at hand, and that is related to the shortage of qualified workforce to work at factories that build actual products.
Manufacturers have reported that since they have to increase the wages, sooner or later they will have to pass their additional costs to their clients and they might have to pass it on to end-users. IPC recently conducted a global survey in a bid to determine key problems that participants of the electronics industry face these days.
According to sources, the shortages of chips and materials, as well as their increased costs, have affected 90% of members belonging to the chip community. And the tight supply has resulted in delays for 88% of respondents, whereas 31% faced production delays of eight weeks or more.
The further problem arises when the shortages of chips and costs of materials, labour market remain more tight, giving rise to more labour costs which is the second major problem for the electronics supply chain.
According to reports, 80% of manufacturers said that they have problems with finding and keeping skilled talent, and almost 50% of them are experiencing extreme difficulties. For 68% of companies, labour costs have increased, and only 19% of the manufacturers can find a qualified workforce. The situation is not expected to change in the following six months and labour costs are projected to increase even further.