Ford Motor Company is facing an acute shortage of skilled workers, its CEO, Jim Farley, has said. Speaking on the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast, he said the company currently has 5,000 open mechanic positions available, each offering a $1,20,000 salary, which is nearly double the median American wage.
“This isn't just a Ford problem,” Fortune reported Ford as saying, underlining the larger challenge in the US labour market for jobs entailing training and hands-on skills. “We're in trouble in our country. We're not talking about this enough,” he said. “We have over a million openings in critical jobs: emergency services, trucking, factory workers, plumbers, electricians, and tradesmen. It's a very serious thing.”
Even as US President Donald Trump emphasises bringing manufacturing back to the US, a gap remains between available roles and people prepared to take them. According to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, more than four lakh manufacturing jobs were open in August 2025, even when the unemployment rate was 4.3%, which is higher than in previous years, reported Fortune. According to a 2024 study by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte, more than half of the 200 surveyed manufacturing companies said recruiting and retaining employees were their biggest challenge.
Farley emphasised the historical significance of jobs in the trades, pointing out that positions at Ford helped build a stable life for generations. His grandfather, who worked on the iconic Model T as employee number 389, benefited from such opportunities. “Jobs in the trades made our country what it is,” he said.
The company has sought to improve its compensation. Ford, in 2023, eliminated the lowest wage tier and agreed to provide a 25% salary increase over four years through its pact with the United Auto Workers union.
Farley also highlighted a systemic issue: a shortage of education and training. Learning complex skills, such as removing a diesel engine from a Ford Super Duty truck, requires at least five years of instruction.
“We do not have trade schools,” Farley said. “We are not investing in educating a next generation of people like my grandfather, who had nothing, who built a middle-class life and a future for his family.”
Despite the challenges, younger generations may help fill the gap. In the US, Gen Z is increasingly choosing trade schools over traditional college to avoid burdensome student loans while securing high-paying employment. Enrollment in vocational programmes surged 16% last year, reaching its highest level since tracking began in 2018, according to Fortune. Yet, the highest-paying positions still generally require advanced degrees, states job platform Ladders.
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