Ford CEO Jim Farley believes the U.S. is facing a major workforce crisis—and urgently needs to address it.
During a recent appearance on the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast, Farley revealed that Ford currently has 5,000 unfilled mechanic roles, even though they offer salaries around $120,000, nearly double the median income for American workers.
He emphasized that this is not just a Ford issue. Across the country, industries that rely on skilled manual labor are facing enormous hiring challenges.
“We are in trouble in our country. We are not talking about this enough,” Farley told host Monica Langley. “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 efforts continue to return manufacturing jobs to the U.S., a disconnect persists between the number of open roles and the number of workers willing or trained to take them.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports more than 400,000 vacant manufacturing positions as of August, despite a 4.3% unemployment rate. Meanwhile, a 2024 survey by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte found that over half of 200 manufacturing companies cited workforce recruitment and retention as their greatest challenge.
Farley pointed out that trade jobs historically laid the foundation for the country’s economic rise, noting his grandfather—employee No. 389 at Ford—built a stable middle-class life as a Model T worker.
He added that the company has improved compensation in recent negotiations, including eliminating its lowest wage tier and committing to a 25% pay raise over four years in its agreement with the United Auto Workers union in 2023.
However, Farley argued that wages alone won’t solve the problem. He said the U.S. lacks sufficient trade-skill education programs, despite the complexity of modern manufacturing work. For example, learning to remove a diesel engine from a Ford Super Duty can take at least five years of training.
“We do not have trade schools,” he 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.”
There may be some hope coming from younger generations. More members of Gen Z are choosing trade programs instead of traditional four-year colleges as they seek strong career paths without heavy student loan debt. Enrollment in vocational programs jumped 16% last year—the highest level since National Student Clearinghouse began tracking in 2018.
Still, many of the highest-paying roles in the U.S.—those with salaries above $200,000—continue to require advanced degrees, according to data from job platform Ladders.
