Automotive Industry Trends News

Car Dealerships Put Out the Help Wanted Sign for Students, Veterans and Others Looking for Great Careers

Nearly 109,000 career jobs are available at U.S. auto dealerships, according to a new study by Automotive Retailing Today (ART). ART, a coalition of major automobile manufacturers and dealer organizations, also found that auto dealers have hired nearly 30,000 military veterans since January 2004 and that summer jobs and internships often lead to full time careers.

"At a time when the auto industry is undergoing significant change, franchise auto dealers have a good news story about thousands of well-paying jobs currently available at dealerships across the country," said Carter Myers, chairman of Automotive Retailing Today. "Students using internships or summer jobs to get experience have a foot in the door for a lucrative career of their choice. Veterans can parlay their work ethics, technical and managerial training into a variety of careers within dealerships."

Veterans' Employment

ART's study also shows that one-third of the nation's auto dealers reported hiring at least one veteran since January 2006. Roughly two veterans have been hired per dealership or an estimated total of 13,715, making total number of military vets hired in the last three years close to 30,000.

In January 2004, ART joined forces with the U.S. military to promote dealership hiring of recent military veterans. The initiative, known as Hire the Heroes, provided links for auto dealers with military outplacement agencies to post job vacancies and attract transitioning veterans to available jobs. The pool of recent military veterans includes technologically savvy, motivated workers whose skills and military training may be easily adaptable to a variety of dealership positions.

"Many U.S. veterans leave the service with significant technical and management training that is immediately useful to auto dealerships, particularly in the area of auto technicians," said Charles S. Ciccolella, assistant secretary of labor for Veterans' Employment and Training. "Many men and women have completed a great deal of this training and some earned technician certification while in the Service."

Internships/Summer Seasonal Employment

Students who want more of a challenge than flipping hamburgers over the summer should approach an auto dealership for summer employment or pursue an internship program. Attracting today's computer savvy youth into a lucrative career is a key focus of the auto retailing industry. A majority of dealerships (68 percent) report offering summer/seasonal employment and participate in internship programs. Three-in-four dealerships say that this is an effective method to identify candidates for permanent positions.

South Atlantic States Have Highest Need

"Dealerships are high-tech facilities requiring top-notch staff with computer and technical skills," said Myers. "America's franchised auto dealers are hanging out the help wanted sign for these high-paying jobs. There is a great demand for qualified, technically savvy and educated employees.

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) the shortage of employees (108,814 vacancies) is largely due to growing dealership customer services, retirements and strong vehicle sales. Regions of the U.S. with the greatest number of vacancies, as reported in the survey, include the South Atlantic, West South Central and the Midwest states. Specific regional opportunities include:

South Atlantic (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia): 25,149

West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas): 18,443

Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington): 14,660

Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin): 13,156

Mid-Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania): 11,436

North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota): 8,168

Mountain (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico Utah, Wyoming): 8,125

East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee): 5,804

New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire Rhode Island, Vermont): 3,876


Sales and Service Jobs in Greatest Demand
According to ART's study, current vacancies by job function include:

-- Sales: 45,698 vacancies (Est. Salary Range for Sales Positions $31,000-$118,000)

-- Service: 36,456 vacancies (Est. Salary Range for Service Positions $28,000-$96,000)

-- Collision Repair: 7,695 vacancies (Est. Salary Range for Collision Positions $31,000-$64,000)

-- Parts: 6,491 vacancies (Est. Salary Range for Parts Positions $22,000-$63,000)

-- Dealership Administration: 5,159 vacancies (Est. Salary Range for Administration Positions $21,000-$163,00)

-- Other (porters, car washers, detailers, etc): 7,315 vacancies (Est. Salary Range for Other Positions $21,000-$33,000)


Details of the 2007 jobs survey, estimated salary ranges (NADA), benefits, and the 2006 attitudes & perceptions survey are available at: www.autoretailing.org/

The study, conducted by Harris Interactive(R), March 28 -- April 12, 2007, surveyed 742 franchised new car dealers in the U.S. about the estimated number of vacant positions in their dealerships(1). Details about the more than 40 different careers found in auto dealerships are available at www.autocareerstoday.org