An empirical analysis of the impact of semiconductor engineer characteristics on outflows and inflows: evidence from six major semiconductor countries

Abstract

The impact of cross-border migration of semiconductor engineers has become an important concern for many countries’ economic policies. There has been limited large-scale data analysis regarding the movement of semiconductor engineers between countries. This study creates an original engineer database for six major semiconductor countries (U.S., China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Germany) using bibliographic information on patents and papers to analyze their transnational migration. Multiple logistic analysis is conducted on the impact of engineers’ characteristics such as age, skills, and areas of expertise on outflows and inflows. The analysis reveals that (1) the United States, Taiwan, Japan, and Germany have excess outflows of engineers, while China and South Korea have excess inflows, (2) the movement of engineers between the United States and China is the most frequent, and (3) there is a significant outflow of engineers from semiconductor fields in which each country specializes.