America stopped producing mechanics at some point. It’s the people who fix them, not the cars, parts, or demand for them. And to put it simply, the CEO of one of the oldest automakers in the nation had to sit on a podcast.
During a fairly routine discussion about labor on the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast, Jim Farley dropped a number that lingered in the air longer than he likely intended. There are 5,000 open mechanic positions at Ford. Each makes about $120,000 annually. Ford is unable to fill them. “We are in trouble in our country,” he stated. “We are not talking about this enough.” It’s odd to hear from a man whose business has been creating things for over a century and now can’t find the workers to keep them going.
| Subject | Ford Motor Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive Manufacturing |
| Headquarters | Dearborn, Michigan, USA |
| CEO | Jim Farley (since October 2020) |
| Open Mechanic Roles | 5,000 |
| Average Salary Offered | $120,000 per year |
| Annual Technician Shortfall (US) | 37,000 (NADA estimate) |
| Recent Initiative | $4 million scholarship program for auto technicians |
| Wage Reform | Eliminated lowest pay tier, 25% raises over four years |
| Federal Projection | ~68,000 mechanic openings annually through 2033 |
Even though you wish they didn’t, the larger numbers support him. There are over a million available positions in emergency services, trucking, electrical, plumbing, and manufacturing. In August alone, there were more than 400,000 manufacturing openings. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, there is a 37,000 technician shortage annually, and federal estimates indicate that there will be approximately 68,000 mechanic positions available through 2033. These are not the kinds of numbers that are fixed by signing bonuses or hiring fairs. Farley himself stated that it takes five years to train a truly advanced technician. The nation hasn’t developed that capability. He stated unequivocally, “We do not have trade schools.”
Observing this unfold gives the impression that something has been subtly broken for a very long time. For a generation, parents encouraged their children to pursue four-year degrees, in part because they loved them and in part because they were afraid of falling behind. As a backup plan in case college didn’t work out, trade work was coded. The shop floor was altered in the interim.
Robotics, automation, additive manufacturing, EV batteries—the work became more technical rather than less. Community colleges do good foundational work but seldom keep up with the new tools, according to Rich Garrity of the National Association of Manufacturers. “We see very few focus curriculums that can keep up with that,” he stated. The pipeline did not simply get smaller. It ceased to change.
Ford has made an effort, just like big businesses do. a new auto technician scholarship program worth $4 million. The lowest tier of the pay structure has been eliminated. 25% increases over a four-year period. During Ford’s early years, Farley made reference to his own grandfather, who established a middle-class life through trade work. It was a minor, almost melancholic detail in an otherwise stern exchange. However, he is also realistic about the capabilities of a single business. Pay does not create skill on its own. A national training deficit cannot be paid for.
Interestingly, trade program enrollment has increased by 16% over the previous year. Silent but genuine. Perhaps there’s a sense that the cultural tide is beginning to turn; young people are weighing the pros and cons of a six-figure mechanic job versus a humanities degree and four years of debt and coming to a different conclusion than their parents did. It’s still unclear if that’s sufficient and quick enough. When the gap is growing every quarter, five years is a long time to train a technician.
It’s difficult to ignore the fact that neither a policy paper nor a school superintendent made the best case for vocational education this year. It originated with an automobile manufacturer who was unable to locate someone to turn the wrench.
