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Economy
The $120,000 job that NO American wants to do... even though there are thousands of vacancies
2026-01-08
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Thousands of vacancies for six-figure, blue collar jobs remain unfilled in the United States because Americans are simply uninterested in hands-on work, experts said.

The automotive giants that once had workers rush to help build cars for the front lines during World War II are now hurting to find skilled trade workers.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said there were 5,000 mechanic jobs hiring that could earn workers up to $120,000 - almost double the average salary in America.

However, he was struggling to fill those positions as the US is suffering a shortage of workers skilled in manual labor.

'We are in trouble in our country,' Farley warned. 'We are not talking about this enough. We have over a million openings in critical jobs, emergency services, trucking, factory workers, plumbers, electricians, and tradesmen. It’s a very serious thing.'

He said dealerships across the country had a 'bay with a lift and tools and no one to work in it.'

Part of the problem is the time it takes to make the six-figure salaries in the industry, which often does flat rate jobs, meaning, in order to earn a high salary, one would have to work quickly to do more tasks.

Another obstacle is the length of time it takes to learn the job - five years.

But for those who stick it out, like Ted Hummel, 39, of Ohio, one can rake in unbelievably good salaries like Hummel's $160,000.

Hummel, a senior master technician who specializes in transmissions, took around a decade to even break the $100,000 mark.

'They always advertised back then, you could make six figures,' Hummel, who has an associate's degree in automotive technology, told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

He started working for Klaben Ford Lincoln in Kent, near Cleveland, in August 2012. It wasn't until 2022 that he made more than $100,000, he told the WSJ.

'As I was doing it, it was like: "This isn’t happening." It took a long time.'

Ford's job center starts off skilled trade workers around $42,000 a year, according to listings viewed by the Daily Mail.

For an auto mechanic in Southeast Michigan, the starting rate is $43,260, with an increase after three consecutive months of employment.

The job also requires eight years of previous experience or apprenticeship, but does not require a college degree.
Posted by:Skidmark

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