Move over AI, the future workforce needs builders, fixers and operators

Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley’s comments on the shortage of mechanics has raised concerns about the job market

By Payal Ganguly
Nov 18, 2025, 15:28 IST1 min
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Ford CEO Jim Farley recently said that the automaker was struggling to fill 5,000 vacancies for skilled mechanics with an average salary of $120,000
Image by Rebecca Cook / Reuters
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Ford has been unable to fill the gap despite increasing wages by 25 percent over the last four years. Farley called this a systemic problem
Image by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
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Nearly 400,000 manufacturing jobs remain unfilled in the US even as the national unemployment rates rose to 4.3 percent in August
Image by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
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Ford CEO Farley said that the key reason for the shortage is the absence of trade-based training and apprenticeship jobs
Image by DR/SP/Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
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As the Trump government works towards bringing back manufacturing jobs to the country, the lack of skilled blue-collar workforce will be an impediment
Image by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

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