[acuozzo]

At least in the US, yes. Check out general1465's reply to me.

The problem, I think, is that there are many competent hardware design engineers available abroad and since hardware is usually designed with very rigorous specs, tests, etc. it's easy to outsource. You can test if the hardware design engineer(s) came up with an adequate design and, if not, refuse payment or demand reimbursement, depending on how the contract is written. It's all very clear-cut and measurable.

Software is still the "Wild West", even with LLMs. It's nebulous, fast-moving, and requires a lot of communication to get close to reaching the maintenance stage.

[EdNutting]

PCB Design != Chip Design.

The article was about chip design.

Not trying to stop you debating the merits and shortcomings of PCB Design roles, just pointing out you may be discussing very very different jobs.

[acuozzo]

I'm talking about chip design: Verilog, VHDL, et al.

Very specifications-driven and easily tested. Very easy to outsource if you have a domestic engineer write the spec and test suite.

Mind you, I am not talking about IP-sensitive chip design or anything novel. I am talking about iterative improvements to well-known and solved problems e.g., a next generation ADC with slightly less output ripple.