Ford CEO Jim Farley announced the formation of the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades in July, aiming to address the projected 1.7 million skilled trades job openings annually through 2035 in the U.S., according to a national report released this week. The alliance includes BlackRock, Google, and Carhartt, and focuses on boosting training to meet the growing demand in sectors like AI, advanced manufacturing, and energy, Fortune.com reported.
The alliance released The State of America’s Skilled Trades: A National Report in partnership with Jobs for the Future and Burning Glass Institute. The report analyzed 124 skilled trades occupations nationwide and found current training programs produce only 55 workers for every 100 needed. About 600,000 of the annual openings will be net-new jobs driven by growth and retirement, highlighting a significant gap in workforce readiness. Farley emphasized the need to support the essential economy by preparing the next generation of workers.
The U.S. is facing a shortage of skilled trades workers, with 2.1 million jobs expected to go unfilled by 2030. The alliance’s efforts come amid growing demand for talent in emerging fields such as AI and energy, where specialized skills are increasingly critical. The collaboration between a major automaker, investment firm, tech giant, and apparel company underscores the cross-industry impact of the skilled trades gap and the urgency to expand training programs.
The alliance’s dashboard and data-driven plan aim to close the workforce gap by scaling training initiatives and improving access to skilled trades education. The report’s findings provide a benchmark for measuring progress as the alliance continues its work to prepare workers for the evolving labor market, with the next update expected at the Ford Pro Accelerate summit later this year.