See The $160,000 Mechanic Job That Ford Can’t Fill: Ford’s CEO says 5,000 jobs are open. Mechanics say there is little wonder why by Christopher Otts of The WSJ. Excerpts:
"39-year-old father of two, [Ted] Hummel is one of Ford Motor’s highest-status automotive technicians—a “senior master.”"
"Hummel said he earned about $160,000 in 2025. There is almost always a transmission for him to work on, and in the unconventional system for mechanics’ pay, Hummel’s efficiency means more money for him and for his dealership."
"The automotive industry has faced a shortage of mechanics for decades"
"Ford dealerships have 5,000 open jobs."
"the jobs can pay $120,000 a year, but they take five years to learn."
"Only a small sliver of mechanics stick around long enough to get to that level of pay. The work is physically grueling. It is costly to start because mechanics need tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools. And the starting pay is closer to fast-food wages than to six figures. The 2024 median pay for a dealership mechanic or technician in the U.S. was $58,580"
"Like most dealership mechanics, he [Hummel] had to buy his own equipment, frequenting “tool trucks” to finance thousands of dollars in gear on payment plans up to $200 a week. These days he owns his own tools, like specialized torque wrenches—required by Ford—that cost up to $800 apiece."
"The way pay works in most dealership service departments is essentially a piecework system called “flat rate.” Technicians are paid a fixed amount per job, regardless of how long the work actually takes. Making six figures requires working fast"
"Russell Wickham, a technician at a Chevrolet store in Indiana, worked for several dealerships across three states for about a decade. The most he grossed was about $89,000 in 2022, he said.
“There’s no guarantee,” he said. “If the customers aren’t coming in, they don’t have a problem letting you sit around because you’re not costing them anything.”"
"While car-repair costs rose 59% from 2014 to 2024, mechanic wages grew by 34% over the same period."
"The company [Ford] said it is working to address the mechanic shortage."
A shortage is when the quantity demanded is greater than the quantity supplied and the price is below equilibrium. It seems like this could be the case since the wages are too low to attract enough workers. Ford says it wants to solve the problem. It might take higher wages. But market pressures should cause the wage to go up. If they are not going up then why not? Is there really no shortage? Hard to tell.
Related posts on supply and demand and shortages:
Does Boeing face a shortage of a temperature-regulating part? (2024)
Drug Shortages in America Reach a Record High (2024)
Is There A Booze Shortage? (2022)
Car makers face ‘chipageddon’ (2021)
Does the U.S. have a firefighter shortage (2021)
There is no truck driver shortage in the US (2021)
Is there a shortage of homes? (2020)
Is there really a shortage of construction workers (2019)
Was there really a shortage of meatless burgers? (2019)
Is There A Christmas Tree Shortage? (2017)
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