Even with salaries that easily exceed six figures, Ford still cannot find enough qualified mechanics. Jim Farley says the issue goes far beyond a simple staffing shortage. The company currently has around 5,000 open mechanic positions, despite pay that can reach up to $120,000 a year. On paper, those numbers should attract plenty of candidates. Instead, workshops continue to struggle with understaffing, and generational turnover remains slow.
Ford’s mechanic shortage reveals a deeper skills gap in America
Farley argues that the problem does not come down to money, but to culture and education. Over the years, the United States has steadily reduced its investment in technical trades, pushing entire generations toward college as the only acceptable path to professional success. This shift has created a skills gap that now affects not only the automotive sector, but also construction, utilities, and manufacturing more broadly. Nationwide, more than one million skilled positions reportedly remain unfilled, including roles for electricians, plumbers, machinists, and technicians.
Farley stresses that people cannot improvise these professions. Taking apart and repairing an engine requires years of hands-on experience, not a few online videos. When he discusses the issue, he often refers to his own family history. His grandfather became one of Ford’s early employees and worked on the Model T, building a stable life through manual labor. For decades, that kind of career path formed a cornerstone of the American middle class, but today it no longer works the way it once did.
This shortage of skilled labor also clashes with Washington’s political ambitions. Leaders frequently talk about bringing manufacturing back to the United States, but that goal risks turning into an empty slogan without a trained workforce. By the end of 2024, manufacturers had about 400,000 open jobs, even as the unemployment rate climbed slightly above 4 percent. A study by the Manufacturing Institute found that for more than half of industrial companies, the biggest challenge involves recruiting and retaining skilled workers, not energy costs or taxes.
Farley believes the education system has focused almost exclusively on college degrees while allowing vocational schools and trade training to decline. That choice broke the direct link between technical education and employment that once supported American industry throughout the twentieth century.
Still, signs of change are starting to emerge. Generation Z increasingly questions student debt and low-return career paths, and shows renewed interest in technical professions. In 2024, enrollment in vocational schools rose by 16 percent, reaching its highest level in six years. The increase remains modest, but it suggests a potential shift in a system that for too long has overlooked the value of skilled manual labor.
