Ford CEO warns America is ‘in trouble.’ Car giant has 5,000 mechanic jobs paying $120K/year unfilled

Ford CEO warns America is ‘in trouble.’ Car giant has 5,000 mechanic jobs paying $120K/year unfilled.
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/ford-ceo-warns-america-trouble-125900085.html

“Those jobs are out there: mechanics in a Ford dealership. As of this morning, we had 5,000 openings. A bay with a lift and tools and no one to work in it,” Farley said. “$120,000 a job a year, but it takes you five years to learn it. Take a diesel out of a Superduty — it takes a lot of skill. You need to know what you're doing.”

"In a recent appearance on the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast, Farley recalled how his grandfather managed to build a “middle class life and a future for his family” through a blue-collar job at Ford — and insisted that similar opportunities still exist today"

 

People who work there have told me it is a physical grind (it's a factory, 10+ hr/day) and very little internal skill development; they are no investment in their workforce. They expect you to have those skills to get the job.

Note- No research or source , just anecdotal stories

 

Exactly that. It is a crappy job that isnt sustainable. $120k a year isnt much if you need 5 years of training and will have long-term health problems from it wrecking your body.

Ford is mad it cant exploit workers. Plain and simple. Probably why they haven’t made a descent car in decades.

 

Well, cough cough, we have a 2011 Ford Escape. Has not a major repair done to it yet. The Ford folks ( Service Department Planet 59 Ford Humble, Texas) nicknamed the 2010-2012 line of Escapes "tanks". We have a 2025 Ford Escape that is on many best built compact mini SUV lists.

 

Every Ford I've ever owned was made of what seemed to be cheap materials and often broke (mid console) , from a Navigator to a Mustang. I now only drive reliable cars (cough, cough), a Jaguar F-type, and a Maserati Levante

 

To.quote Rich, YMMV! Each has a different story

 

For the last 20 years I've been buying cars based significantly on Consumer Reports reliability calculations. I've learned that those ratings change over the years between the different car companies.

 

Ford’s CEO is right — these jobs can be life-changing.
Young people today have real opportunities to learn a skilled trade, earn a decent salary, and build a stable future. A job like a Ford mechanic may take time to learn, but it offers strong income, long-term demand, and a path to advancement.

I’ve lived this personally. When I had my first child, I worked extremely hard to provide for my family — long shifts, early mornings, weekend hours. It wasn’t easy. But those years helped me build experience, discipline, and skills that opened doors to better roles later on.

A skilled trade can do the same for many people today. These jobs aren’t just “open positions” — for some, they can be a path out of financial stress, even a lifeline toward a better future.

So mI don’t agree with that take. Calling it a “crappy job” overlooks the reality that skilled trades have lifted millions of people into the middle class for generations. Not every good career comes from a university degree, and the country needs both paths.

70K to $120K is not exploitation — especially when it comes with:

Paid training/apprenticeships

A nationwide shortage (meaning job security)

Clear career progression (master tech → shop foreman → service manager → independent shop owner)


As for health issues, every profession has trade-offs.
Office jobs lead to back problems and burnout. Healthcare workers get injured at high rates too.
The solution is better ergonomics, better equipment, and proper training, not dismissing the entire profession.

And blaming mechanics’ pay for Ford’s product quality doesn’t make much sense — these are dealership technicians, not factory workers or engineers.

Most importantly, these jobs can be life-changing for young people who don’t have family money, who don’t want college debt, or who want a practical skill they can use anywhere in the country. That’s why so many techs eventually open their own shops — the opposite of being “exploited.”

Skilled trades aren’t for everyone, but for many people they’re a solid, respectable path to stability and upward mobility.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/ford-workers-told-ceo-none-184344506.html

 

It was part of the negotiations.