Ford CEO Admits EVs Will Cost Many Their Jobs

This might be why UAW is so fired up.

The so-called “electric revolution” so many are trying to convince us will transform the auto industry for the better keeps looking worse the closer it gets. With government-mandated deadlines of 2030, 2035, etc. it’s becoming apparently the switch to electric cars will be anything but a utopia for most. And if you believe what Ford CEO Jim Farley said recently, the EV movement will trigger a wave of layoffs, leaving many families in the financial lurch.

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According to Fortune, Farley made his comments during the Future of Everything conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal. He made it apparent that his plan isn’t to retrain current workers to produce EVs but instead will just lay them off and hire people who are already qualified.

“This is the hard part: I’m not sure we can upskill everyone; I don’t think they’re going to make it,” Farley said. “There’s a new skill set we’re going to need, and I don’t think I can teach everyone—it will take too much time. So there is going to be disruption in this transition.”

Basically, this is a sanitized way of saying mass layoffs are coming for Ford employees. Most likely to be shoved out the door are assembly workers, many of whom are members of UAW. No wonder the union seems to be so combative toward automakers these days.

Essentially, this is another wave to crash against the middle class in America’s Rust Belt. They already took one on the kisser as trade with China surged and slave labor became cheaper than the American variety. Some towns and cities never fully recovered as unemployment surged along with drug use, crime, and many other horrific elements. One has to question if Farley cares about the social fallout of his company’s dogged push toward electrification.

Sure, Fortune points out how Ford has revived Michigan Central Station, which was an empty husk since 1988, to use as a hub for mobility software. So you see, EVs are creating jobs and revitalizing some areas while hollowing out others, and that apparently balances everything?

In the meantime, Ford keeps courting Chinese automaker BYD to deepen their relationship, signaling where the Blue Oval really feels its future lies. Once again, we see leaders are willing to sell out American families to make a buck, no matter the social cost at home.

Images via Ford