The American Electronics Association figures are less cheerful with regard to the semiconductor sector, which saw employment decline 3.5% to 256,800 last year, and other components, off 4.7% at 356,400; communications equipment also fell, by 5.5% to 522,900, but software and programming employment soared 12.7% to 373,300, despite the oft-bemoaned shortage of trained people; miscellaneous – consumer, medical and such, fell 5.5% to 522,900 for an overall fall in employment in 1989 of 0.8% to 2.58m.
