Automotive Vacancy Rate Tracker: Sector stuck in neutral as vacancies remain at 20,000 while job postings decrease year on year

Motorists face continued delays to servicing and repairs as IMI analysis suggests employers have pulled back on recruitment.

The latest IMI Automotive Vacancies Report reveals the sector continues to struggle to tackle the skills gap. The IMI’s analysis of the September 2024 data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows motor trades vacancies at 20,000 with 3.5 vacancies for every 100 employees. However, despite the continued high level of vacancies, separate IMI analysis of job postings suggests employers have retracted recruitment plans over the last year, which is a serious concern for motorists requiring vehicle repairs and servicing.

Overall job postings reported in the IMI’s Labour Market Report, decreased by 38% year on year (July 2024) with 51% of these positions for Vehicle Technicians, Mechanics, and Electricians. A complicated mix of factors are likely to be behind this decline including employer apathy and recruitment fatigue after failed hiring attempts, combined with caution due to economic uncertainty.

“The proposed increase in employers NI contributions announced in the Autumn Budget Statement has the potential to impact recruitment as well as salaries, and this raises serious concerns that the already significant skills gap is only likely to be further exacerbated”, said Azlina Bulmer, Managing Director of the IMI.

“Lack of access to qualified and continuously trained automotive experts presents a serious risk to road safety and social mobility, which we will raise in our response on behalf of our members to the government’s Industrial Strategy green paper: Invest 2035: The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.”

The IMI strongly believes that creating a pipeline of talent through apprenticeships, vocational training, and upskilling programmes is the only way to meet the urgent need for skills in the automotive sector. By integrating the sector into broader skills and industrial strategies, government can ensure that the UK not only meets its decarbonisation goals but also secures a leading position in the global automotive industry for decades to come.

Data Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS) Dataset VACS02 ‘Vacancies by industry’ | Released 15th October 2024

The IMI Automotive Vacancies report can be downloaded here.

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