Overview
- CEO Jim Farley said the company has 5,000 open mechanic roles paying about $120,000 and warned of more than one million unfilled skilled‑trade jobs nationwide.
- He said the shortfall is already constraining operations, with thousands of vehicles left unfinished on assembly lines for lack of trained technicians.
- Farley linked the gap to a weakened training pipeline, noting that core tasks can take years to master and that vocational pathways have eroded.
- Despite removing its lowest pay tier and agreeing to a 25% raise over four years in the 2023 UAW contract, Ford still struggles to hire for the most technical positions.
- Policy frictions persist as President Trump says the U.S. will need to bring in talent even as a reported $100,000 H‑1B application fee raises hurdles; trade‑school enrollment rose 16% last year, pointing to slower‑burn relief.