September 2009 Employment Outlook for Design Verification Professionals

By Dayna Romanick
Sr. Recruiting Manager: Silicon Elite

There’s good news in the marketplace if you’re a bit adventurous, startups are hiring. Many experienced DV engineers are leaving behind the security of their established companies in hopes of becoming a part of something that could become the next Google. In fact, recent grads (with less than 3 years of experience) and highly experienced engineers (with >10 years in the field) seem to be in the greatest demand at the moment.

But why are these people finding work, while so many others continue to struggle? The key here appears to be their hands on nature. Those who have moved away from day to day engineering skills in favor of management are finding it extremely difficult to reposition themselves. Those who have stepped away for a year or two are also finding difficulties in re-entering the marketplace. With the closing of multiple fabs, design centers and the discontinuation of several verification projects, the industry’s unemployment rate is roughly at about 9.8%. This includes the loss of another 8000 jobs last month alone.*

Although the industry has seen tough times this year, things do appear to be getting somewhat better. Employers are beginning to budget for next year and project the cost of hiring additional engineering personnel, albeit at reduced pay rates. Opportunities are also expected to increase over the coming year with companies specializing in products and services which serve to expedite getting chip designs to market.

If you’re still looking for a job, you should know that an upturn is predicted in Q4, with even more opportunities surfacing in early 2010. Now is the time to prepare for it by updating your resume and sharpening your selling points as a prospective employee.

* source: Bureau of Labor Statistics