Opinion | The surprising reason few Americans are getting chips jobs now

This essay was reported by columnist Heather Long, Marketplace radio host Kai Ryssdal and Marketplace producer Maria Hollenhorst. A three-part radio series is airing on Marketplace this week. Listen here.

PHOENIX — Giant factories are rising up in the desert all around this city. It’s ground zero for President Biden’s massive bet that he can bring back to America one of the 21st century’s most important manufacturing jobs: making semiconductor chips. Congress approved $53 billion in funding, and the White House has just announced preliminary agreements to give billions in grants to corporations such as Intel, TSMC and Micron. Now comes the greatest challenge of all: finding enough workers to make it a reality.