The Ford Pro division of Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn today convened 300 leaders from across the essential economy – critical industries like manufacturing, utilities, transportation, construction, and energy, among others – for a national forum at Michigan Central Station in Detroit to accelerate productivity in these critical sectors.
The summit, called Ford Pro Accelerate: The Essential Economy, comes at what the automaker is calling “an urgent moment for America,” which is grappling with a “yawning productivity divide.”
From 2015 to 2023, productivity in the knowledge economy rose 28 percent, powered by innovation in software and cloud services. During that same period, productivity in much of the essential economy declined.
“This summit addresses a fundamental challenge to America’s prosperity — a growing productivity divide that holds back the very people who build, move, and fix our country,” says Jim Farley, president and CEO of Ford.
“At Ford, we believe honoring these essential workers means equipping them to win. This is a call to action for business, technology, and government to break down the barriers of bureaucracy and underinvestment. The work we begin today is about ensuring America’s Essential Economy is strong and fit for the future.”
Other national business leaders echoed Ford’s urgency message.
“I would put this in the category of critically important right now,” says Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorganChase. “America has one of the best and most prosperous economies the world has ever seen.
“But we’ve gotten bogged down by crippling bureaucracy that slows down growth, job creation, and innovation. Too often, it can take longer to get permits than to build something. We can grow our economy for the benefit of all Americans, and I believe meetings like this will help us do that.”
John May, chairman and CEO of Deere & Co., says, “We need to do a better job helping people understand how critical our industries are. We need to demonstrate our purpose — to provide the food and critical infrastructure the world needs with equipment that allows our customers to do it in a more productive way and more profitably so they can continue to reinvest in their business and reinvest in their community.”
Linda Hubbard, president and CEO of Carhartt Inc. in Dearborn, says, “More than a million skilled trade jobs are going unfilled today, a number that’s only projected to rise. Skilled trade jobs are too often overlooked as pathways to meaningful careers, yet these workers are the backbone of our economy.
“Elevating and investing in this workforce is critical to our physical infrastructure, industrial production and community development—everything that supports our society and helps it advance.”
In partnership with the Aspen Institute, Ford says it identified three evidence-based paths to address these productivity challenges:
Bolstering Human Capital: As the U.S. faces major workforce shortages — including 600,000 workers in manufacturing and 500,000 unfilled jobs in construction — federal spending on workforce services has dropped by two-thirds in inflation-adjusted terms since 1979.
Streamlining Regulatory Procedures: The average time for approval of a power-connection request has more than doubled since the early 2000s, and the U.S. now adds only one-eighth the annual miles of high-voltage transmission lines compared to 20 years ago.
Fostering Innovation Where It’s Needed Most: Federal spending on R&D is at its lowest point as a percentage of GDP since 1953, with innovation shifting away from industrial sectors. The manufacturing industry’s share of new patents fell from 78 percent in 1970 to 30 percent in 2010.
Recognizing that action must come from both the public and private sectors, Ford says it’s leading through its Ford Essential Workforce Initiative. This includes programs like the UAW-Ford Joint Apprentice Program; nationwide auto tech recruiting and training partnerships; and Ford Pro services that make customers more productive, including a new collaboration with ServiceTitan.
Building on this commitment, Ford and Ford Philanthropy today announced new workforce development investments totaling more than $5 million for 2025-2026, which is projected to benefit more than 100,000 students and educators through:
- 15 Ford Future Builders Labs in Michigan and Tennessee to bring hands-on learning to K-12 students.
- A new partnership with SkillsUSA to expand advanced manufacturing and automotive programs for high school students.
- The creation of the Ford Philanthropy Advanced Manufacturing & Trades Scholarship to cover training, tools, and expenses for students pursuing careers in the skilled trades.
- The expansion of Ford’s Auto Tech Scholarship with TechForce Foundation, which has already provided $7 million in financial support to 1,400 students since 2023.
- As part of these efforts, Ford is also exploring with Bloomberg Philanthropies how to expand its innovative model for career-focused high schools to the skilled trades.
The event is being streamed here.
