For the second year in a row, Ford Motor Co. is sounding the alarm on a growing shortage of skilled trades workers in the United States.

"Here's the reality: We need to fill 1.7 million job openings in the trades every year over the next 10 years. Every year, 1.7 million," Ford CEO Jim Farley said on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at the company's ACCELERATE forum held at Michigan Central.

"But for every 100 workers we need, training programs are only graduating 55," Farley warned. "And nearly a quarter of our skilled workforce is 55 years or older. Most of them are going to retire soon. That's an anchor weight down on our economy and a total killer for productivity. And every American is going to feel it."

The event, in its second year, brings together business and policy leaders to draw attention to what Ford calls "the essential economy" — which includes hands-on jobs in sectors like manufacturing, utilities, transportation, construction and energy.

A new report provides state-by-state projections on which areas of the country should expect the biggest surges in demand for skilled trades jobs and which areas are best or worst prepared to meet that demand.

"Too many individuals make consequential career decisions with poor labor market information and limited guidance, resulting in missed job prospects, wasted time, and repeated career transitions that stunt advancement," the report from the Alliance for America's Skilled Trades said.

The Alliance is a corporate partnership between Ford, workwear company Carhartt Inc., investment management firm BlackRock Inc. and tech giant Google. The group's 2026 report was prepared by the nonprofit Jobs for the Future and the Burning Glass Institute, an economic research group.

"Many find it difficult to answer even basic questions — from available training programs to skills requirements and average earnings — about jobs in the skilled trades. The skilled trades gap will only worsen if employers, educators, and other stakeholders fail to address these shortcomings," the report added.

Comedian Nate Bargatze emceed the event and delivered opening remarks.

"Choosing to be an auto mechanic or a plumber or an electrician can still be a way to get the American dream for you and your family," he said. "And that's because that work is so important to the rest of us — people like me who, one time, you know, broke down in tears because I couldn't figure out how to turn the light off in my hotel room."

Farley, looking back on the 2025 event, said there have been three signs of progress since then. First, he said, was the new report, which is meant to "gather the facts" and dispel the "fiction" around the skilled trades labor gap. He also noted the "billions" in education and training commitments from companies toward the cause and a new partnership with the Ad Council.

"Got milk, Smokey the Bear, skilled trades," he said, referencing past campaigns from the nonprofit advertising group.

After his remarks, Farley appeared on a panel with Carhartt CEO Linda Hubbard, Blackrock CEO Larry Fink and Google President Ruth Porat.

Later panels included Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon and television host Mike Rowe, who once starred in the series "Dirty Jobs" and later started the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting jobs in the skilled trades.

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