If you’ve ever considered a career working in the automotive industry, one place where you could potentially find employment is at a car dealership. Car dealerships are especially eager to hire auto mechanics right now due to a variety of factors, including a shortage of skilled mechanics and an increase in vehicle sales. Let’s take a look at a few of the reasons why dealerships may be the perfect place to start your auto mechanic career.
Dealerships Are Facing a Big Labour Shortage and Need More Automotive School Grads
The one overarching reason why dealerships are so eager to hire new auto mechanics is because of a serious shortage of trained mechanics throughout the automotive industry. There are a number of reasons why there aren’t enough auto mechanics to fill all of the available job openings. For one, many current mechanics will soon be retiring and there simply aren’t enough younger mechanics to replace them.
Another reason for the shortage is that many younger people have been raised to believe that if they want a well-paying career, they need to go to college or university. However, statistics show that wages grew by 14% for men in the trades between 2005 and 2015, compared to just 8% growth for those holding a college degree and a measly 6% for those with a university degree. While the myth of the low-paid trades professional belongs in the dustbin of history, it unfortunately still keeps a lot people from going to automotive school to pursue a lucrative and in-demand career.
Vehicle Sales Are Near All-Time Highs and that Places More Demand on Dealerships
The shortage of auto mechanics is affecting both independent garages and dealerships across the country for another reason: there are more vehicles on the road. While vehicle sales have leveled off in the past year, they are still near record-high levels. For example, a study by Scotiabank found that 2 million vehicles were sold in Canada in 2018, which was only slightly lower than 2017’s record-breaking 2.04 million. Most of those new vehicles will be under dealer warranties. While there’s no requirement that vehicle owners have to take their vehicles to dealerships to maintain their warranties, many do anyway for the peace of mind of knowing that dealership technicians are trained in how to service their specific type of vehicle. As a result, dealerships need more mechanics to keep up with that demand.
Millennials Love Leasing Vehicles, Which Means More Auto Mechanic Careers at Dealerships
Millennials, it turns out, love leasing vehicles. While Canadian figures are hard to come by, US statistics show that the number of millennials who leased cars grew by 49% from 2012 to 2016. Because lessees can face serious penalties at the end of their lease if they don’t maintain the vehicle to manufacturer specifications, many lessees play it safe and get all of their maintenance done at the dealership. That means a lot of those millennials driving around in leased cars will be coming to dealerships for maintenance and repair. In fact, Statistics Canada notes that higher new vehicle sales combined with growth in car leases will create more openings for auto mechanic careers at dealerships.
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