"The United States can't actualize its moonshot AI goals if it's lacking key workers to bolster the infrastructure to build the technology, according to Ford CEO Jim Farley. With AI predicted to balloon to a $4.8 trillion market by 2033, Farley warned the U.S. has overlooked the labor needed to build and sustain data centers and manufacturing facilities. While President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs to revive factory jobs, there continues to be recruitment and retention problems in U.S. manufacturing."
"The Ford CEO has said that AI could wipe out half of white-collar jobs, while creating mass demand for skilled trades. But the labor force to fill this growing clamor for workers isn't there, Farley said. The country is short 600,000 factory workers and 500,000 construction workers right now, and will need 400,000 auto technicians over the next three years, he wrote in a LinkedIn post in June."
""We all sense that America can do better than we are doing," he said at the Aspen Ideas Festival in June. "We need a new mindset, one that recognizes the success, the importance of this essential economy and the importance to our vibrancy and sustainability as a country.""
The United States lacks the blue-collar workforce needed to build and sustain AI infrastructure, risking moonshot AI ambitions. AI is projected to become a $4.8 trillion market by 2033, intensifying demand for data centers and manufacturing capacity. The country faces immediate shortfalls: 600,000 factory workers, 500,000 construction workers, and a need for 400,000 auto technicians over three years. An aging domestic workforce and restrictive immigration policies exacerbate labor gaps. AI may eliminate many white-collar jobs while increasing demand for skilled trades. A new mindset is needed to recognize and strengthen the essential economy that underpins national vibrancy and sustainability.
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