Is there a shortage of analog engineers? Some industry data suggests there is. But when Electronic Design asked its readers earlier this year if their organization is having difficulty finding qualified analog engineers, more than half said they do not. In fact, 1620 of the 2354 readers (69%) said that they perceived no shortage. So while there may be a shortage, it clearly doesn't affect all companies equally. Possibly, that's because most engineers today deal exclusively with the digital domain. They carry their digital hammers, and to them every problem looks like a digital nail. They don't spend much time thinking about analog design.
As a reporter who covers the analog beat, I think there's more to it than that—the analog engineering shortage isn't where most people think it exists. But before we get to the details of my hypothesis, let's look more closely at that survey to see who thought there was a shortage.
Survey says
Of that "yes, there is a shortage" group, 639 responded to the question: "What
are some of the ways your organization is addressing the shortage?" Ignoring
those whose responses were off-topic:
- Seventy-eight indicated that their companies have ongoing relations with
universities, that they offer continuing education reimbursement, or that
they aggressively recruit new grads at the baccalaureate level. Many of these
respondents cited college intern and co-op programs. So, a lot of companies
seem to be actively engaging colleges and hiring new grads.
- Seventy said they outsourced or used consultants but did not specifically
say they were going outside North America for these resources. Eleven more
mentioned looking for analog engineers overseas. Maybe, then, analog designers
are like medical doctors who specialize. That is, companies only turn to them
when their digital engineers (the family-practice physicians) are stumped.
Interestingly, nine respondents in this group mentioned going after retirees
for their consulting needs. Perhaps those are the all-knowing GPs of an earlier
era.
- Fifty-eight described internal training of existing staff. That suggests
that the schools could be doing a better job, or that keeping up the state
of the art is a continuing challenge and that one can never afford to rest
on one's laurels.
- Seventeen said they hire headhunters who specialize in recruiting analog
engineers. Maybe headhunting is a job opportunity for analog engineers who
can talk the talk but can't quite walk the walk.
- Only three said they relied on vendor (or disti) FAEs to solve their thorny
analog problems, but of course, everybody does that. App notes and data sheets
are fine, but a lot of the real "how-to" only comes across when you're face-to-face
with an apps engineer from the company that makes the parts you're using.
This response suggests that apps engineering is a promising career option
for analog engineers who can think on their feet.
- Numerous others mentioned hiring fairs, hiring bonuses, referral bonuses,
and advertising, but that's just normal recruiting.
- A good number of responses involved some venting. Forty-six frustrated souls
said, in effect, that the problem was recognized, but their companies were
doing nothing about it. Another disgruntled bunch said their companies just
pile on the overtime.
- Only one responder admitted that his company tries to lure away good analog
engineers from its competitors. Balancing that, another mentioned his company's
efforts to retain good engineers. Based on other conversations I've had, I
think a lot of companies would like to poach engineers from their competitors,
but aside from friction with management or a spouse who refuses to spend one
more " winter in this igloo" or "summer in this sauna," engineers tend to
stay put—especially when employers are willing to match competitors'
salary or status inducements.
Some of the longer comments about the state of analog engineering today are
thought-provoking (see "Comments From ED's Survey" at ED Online 13667 at
www.electronicdesign.com).