Ford CEO Jim Farley Warns a Blue-Collar Worker Shortage Could Slow AI Data Centers and U.S. Reshoring

Ford CEO Jim Farley says the United States cannot hit its biggest technology and manufacturing goals without solving a major problem first: there are not enough skilled blue-collar workers to build and maintain what the country wants to grow next, including AI data centers and reshored factory operations.

Farley’s warning is tied to the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure. With AI projected to become a $4.8 trillion market by 2033, he argues that the workforce needed to support this boom is being ignored.
He described the issue as a crisis in what he calls the “essential economy,” meaning the labor that keeps industries functioning such as construction workers, factory workers, and technicians. He has warned that while AI may reduce many white-collar jobs, it will sharply increase demand for skilled trades.
But Farley says the labor supply is already falling behind. He has pointed to large shortages across key sectors: the U.S. is short 600,000 factory workers and 500,000 construction workers, and will need 400,000 auto technicians over the next three years.

Farley believes this shortage makes it harder to deliver on the reshoring ambitions being pushed by government policies, including tariff-driven efforts aimed at boosting American factory jobs. Even with the political intent in place, Farley says there is still “nothing to backfill the ambition.”
He has also connected the issue to awareness and perception. In his view, the challenge is not only about hiring. It is also about how the country talks about trades, trains people, and treats skilled labor as a strong career path.

The shortage is already affecting the data center industry. Pure Data Centres Group CEO Dawn Childs has also said there are not enough construction workers available to meet the pace of demand.
Beyond construction, staffing inside data centers is another growing problem. A 2020 survey by Uptime Institute found that half of data center operators were struggling to find qualified candidates. A 2025 Deloitte report showed the challenge continues, with more than half of surveyed U.S. power and data center executives calling skilled labor shortages a core challenge.

This pressure has reached large tech players too. Bloomberg reported that Oracle delayed some data center completion timelines for OpenAI from 2027 to 2028 due to labor shortages and materials issues.
Farley believes solving the problem will require policy changes, including stronger investment in vocational training and apprenticeships, along with regulatory changes that support expansion.
Ford itself is already repositioning parts of its strategy. The company announced it would scrap rollout plans for some larger EV models and repurpose a Kentucky battery factory to produce batteries for data centers and industrial customers.

Farley’s message is simple: the future depends on workers who build it, and the country needs to treat that workforce gap as urgent.

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