Ford is struggling to hire and keep the highly trained technicians who keep its most profitable vehicles on the road, even as advertised pay for top performers can reach into the low six figures and beyond. The company is confronting a paradox that defines much of the modern labor market: a glut of college graduates chasingwhite-collar roles and a shortage of people willing to spend years mastering demanding, hands-on work. The result is a growing gap between what Ford is willing to pay and the number of Americans prepared to do the job.
At the center of that gap is a specialized mechanic role that can pay as much as 160,000 dollars a year when overtime, bonuses, and productivity incentives stack up. Yet thousands of these positions remain open across Ford’s dealer network, leaving service bays short staffed and customers waiting longer for repairs. The company’s leadership has started to frame the shortage as a strategic threat, not just an HR headache, because every unfilled technician job risks lost sales, weaker brand loyalty, and slower adoption of new technology.
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