Ford CEO Jim Farley has raised alarms that the US can not lead in high-tech manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI) if it overlooks the country’s blue-collar workforce. In an interview with Axios, Farley said industries like construction, maintenance, and skilled traders are the ‘essential economy’ that keep factories, supply chains, and data centres running. “I think the intent is there, but there’s nothing to backfill the ambition,” Farley told the publication. Jim Farley argued that while there is a growing debate about AI taking white-collar jobs, not enough attention is given to shortages in critical roles like electricians, construction workers, and auto technicians. “How can we reshore all this stuff if we don’t have people to work there?,” he said.In a recent blog post, Farley highlighted that the US needs 600,000 more manufacturing workers, 500,000 construction workers and 400,000 automotive technicians. He said the problem is not just about hiring but about awareness, culture and lack of investment in vocational training and regulatory reforms. “On the surface, this looks like a people problem, and most are. But it’s actually not that simple. It’s an awareness problem. It’s a societal problem,” Farley said.“If I were to take the typical American family and say, ‘Would you rather your kid be a software programmer making $170,000 or be an HVAC specialist to make $97,000, which one would you prefer?’, I would say many, many Americans would prefer the software engineer,” he stated.

Ford CEO to host summit to raise the issue

Jim Farley remarks come as productivity in industries that build, power, move and maintain the physical world declined. To highlight the issue, Farley is reportedly bringing together leaders in business, technology and government at a summit called “Accelerate the Essential Economy” in Detroit. Attendees will include Roger Penske (Penske Corp.), David Burritt (U.S. Steel), John Stankey (AT&T), Raj Subramaniam (FedEx), Barbara Humpton (Siemens USA) and Joe Shoen (U-Haul), among others. According to Axios, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer also plans to attend the summit.Farley calls his “Accelerate” summit a first step toward making policies that support the growth of these critical sectors of the economy. “If we are successful — when we are successful — we’ll take on bigger, higher-class problems. Right now, the problems we’re trying to solve are pretty practical. I need 6,000 technicians in my dealerships on Monday morning,” he said.