Training programs are producing 55 skilled trade workers for every 100 needed

Training programs are producing 55 workers for every 100 needed in the skilled trades, according to a new report from the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades. 

“The State of America’s Skilled Trades: A National Report” found the U.S. will need to fill an estimated 1.7 million skilled trade jobs by 2035, according to a press release on the report. 

Skilled workers contributed an estimated $3.8 trillion to the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025, the report found. 

The report examines 124 skilled trades occupations in all 50 states to identify where workers are needed and whether training is keeping pace. 

Based on the information, the alliance also launched the America’s Skilled Trades Dashboard, an interactive tool covering 124 skilled trades occupations in the U.S.  

“The state- and trade-level detail in this dashboard can help policymakers, workforce boards, colleges, and local leaders target solutions where they are needed, rather than relying on a single national figure,” the release states. 

An automotive body and related repairers page on the dashboard shows 149,000 workers in the trade, and a 3.6% increase between 2019 and 2025. 

Twenty-nine percent of the automotive body repairer workforce is 55 years old or older, and 11% are under 25. The five-year retention rate is 65%, and 9.8% of the industry is part-time. 

The report found the industry’s median pay is $54,000. It adds that the 10th percentile earns $37,000, while the 90th percentile earns $86,000. 

The employment growth per year is 0.6% between 2019 and 2025, the report found. 

Employers of auto body and other repairers are looking for skills that include automated cost estimating integrated tools, auto glass installation and repair, work orders, workplace safety, and mechanical tools. Employers pay a premium for skills that include power tool operation, manual and mechanical repair, vehicle inspection, aluminum, and work orders. 

Auto body and other related repairers rank 118 out of 525 other occupations facing national shortage pressure, the report states. 

Maine has the highest shortage pressure for automotive body and related repairers. Other states with high pressure include New Hampshire, Kansas, Nevada, and North Carolina. 

West Virginia has the lowest shortage pressure, according to the report. Other states included Minnesota, Connecticut, Louisiana, and Tennessee. 

Data show there are nine states where the demand for overall skilled trades workers outpaces the supply: 

• 1. Arizona
  2. Colorado
  3. Delaware
  4. Florida
  5. Georgia
  6. New Jersey
  7. North Carolina
  8. South Carolina
  9. Texas

For example, by 2034 Arizona will need 29,000 electricians, Texas will need 86,000 auto mechanics, and North Carolina will need 19,000 carpenters. 

Eighty-six out of 124 occupations are expected to add jobs or hold steady through 2035, the report found. 

According to the release, people are interested in skilled trades, but they don’t know where to start. It adds that the first steps toward becoming an electrician are different from becoming a plumber. 

“Guidance counselors also face challenges helping students navigate these paths,” the release states. “Only 1 in 4 often recommend apprenticeship, just over half often recommend trade school, and nearly 9 in 10 often recommend a four-year degree — the path most students already know. A clearer first step is needed to help high school students explore careers in the skilled trades.” 

Only 1 in 2 people finish a skilled trades program, but data show that high-quality apprenticeship programs have a completion rate of more than 90%. 

“Getting students into the trades is only half the job,” the release adds. “What prevents people from completing a program isn’t a lack of commitment; it’s practical barriers like transportation, childcare, and the need for a paycheck. Solving those problems will help more people start and finish their careers.”

The report dives deeper into automotive service technicians and mechanics, specifically, as a skilled trade under pressure. 

“Automotive repair demand is anchored in the large number of vehicles already on the road,” the report states. “What is changing more quickly is the technical content of the work”

Aging vehicles mean technicians maintain and repair systems spanning multiple generations of vehicle technology, the report notes. It adds that cameras, radars, sensors, and other electronic systems have added diagnostic and calibration work to repairs that were once primarily mechanical. 

“Even routine work such as windshield replacement or wheel alignment can now require system calibration,” the release notes. 

As battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and conventional hybrid vehicles become a large share of the fleet, battery and high-voltage service is becoming a more routine part of automotive repair, the report adds. 

The report finds that entry into the technician occupation is not the primary constraint. It adds that workers under 25 years old make up 15.5% of the industry, compared with 11% across the skilled trades overall. 

“The more significant challenge comes after entry, as the technology technicians’ service continues to change,” the report adds. “Certification is largely voluntary, and about one in five technicians holds a certification or license. Technicians in smaller shops may develop deep expertise in particular repairs or vehicle brands without regular exposure to newer systems. Moving into areas such as EV diagnostics or advanced driver-assistance systems requires current equipment, instruction, and supervised practice that individual shops may struggle to provide on their own.”

The report states that for workers to keep pace with required changes, they need continued access to equipment, instruction, and supervised practice after entry, not just strong initial preparation. 

The report is one of the first projects completed by the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades. The alliance was founded in July by BlackRock, Carhartt, Ford, and Google. 

Fourteen new members were announced during Ford’s “ACCELERATE the Essential Economy” event on Wednesday. 

They include: AT&T, Barton Malow, Blackstone, Cintas Corp., DeWalt, Dycom, The Hershey Co., ManpowerGroup, Meta, Microsoft, Milwaukee Tool, NVIDIA, Verizon, and Waymo.

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Photos courtesy of the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades.