'It Pays Like .6:' Ford CEO Says There Aren't Enough Mechanics. Then a Mechanic Responds

• Ford

Ford’s CEO recently said that there is a shortage of mechanics in the US. A mechanic says he knows exactly why it’s hard to find good help these days—and that car companies themselves may be to blame.

Wiktor Ivanovko posted a video to his Facebook page. It starts with a clip of comments made by Ford CEO Jim Farley to Yahoo Finance about how a lack of skilled mechanics is impacting the auto industry.

"This morning when I woke up, there were 6,000 bays in our dealerships," Farley says in the clip.

Yahoo Finance editor Brian Sozzi asks, "Why is there a shortage of these workers?"

"Well, it’s a complicated problem, but—" Farley says as the video cuts out.

Response to Ford CEO's Skilled Workers Comments

Clearly, Ivanovko thinks he’s got an idea why Ford is struggling to hire skilled mechanics. And it doesn’t have to do with lack of trained workers. It’s all about engineering and flat-rate pay for repairs under warranty.

“You’ll have to do this oil pan gasket on this F-250,” Ivanovko says, mimicking a Ford dealership manager. “You’ll have to pull the cab off of the frame to do it. And it’s under warranty, so it pays like .6 [hours]. Why don’t you want to work for me?”

Estimates vary, but online consensus is that it will take at least a few hours to remove the cab of a truck, and upwards of an entire day. But if the warranty pays a flat rate of just 40 minutes for a repair that requires removing the cab first, the mechanic is essentially losing time and money.

Many self-identified mechanics who commented on Ivanovko’s post blamed the engineers who design vehicles for making them difficult to work on.

“Engineers should design them to be worked on. Not to speed up the assembly process,” wrote one.

Why Is Ford Struggling to Hire Skilled Mechanics?

While Ford has 6,000 open positions, Farley estimated that the overall economy needs another 400,000 mechanic technicians. He blamed the gap on decreased productivity over the past 20 years, the lack of glamour associated with the position, and excessive regulation.

According to MarketWatch, the automotive industry is indeed short nearly half a million mechanics. While Farley focused on public perception of working people as a primary driver of this shortage, analysts attributed it to a lack of mechanics graduating from school, a wave of retirements by older generations of mechanics, and the fact that new vehicles generally last longer than older ones.

Mechanics on a Reddit thread posted to r/AutoMechanics earlier this year note the study and dedication needed to learn the trade, the long hours, and the physical aspect of the job. Add to that the fact that it’s more expensive than ever to run an auto body shop, and you’ve got a recipe for a shortage.

However, there are signs this trend might be reversing, including an increased number of mechanic graduates entering the job market.

Viewers React to Ivanovko’s Ford Response

In the comments, viewers reacted to Ivanovko’s retort to the Ford CEO. Many said his criticism is justified.

“Always been a strong believer that if you want to be an engineer, you should have to work in the trade for no less than two years,” wrote one viewer. “So they understand what it takes.”

“And you have to buy all of your own tools to do it,” agreed a second viewer.

A third viewer added, “I’m not a mechanic, but maybe make vehicles that are less of a hassle to work on and this goes for all vehicle manufacturers.”

Motor1 contacted Ivanovko via Instagram direct message for comment. We’ll update this if he responds.