A fine career choice

Sluggish economy. Lagging sales. Outdated technology. Weather disasters. Every industry is faced with challenges. Businesses continually develop methods to overcome the obstacles, remain relevant in the marketplace and survive. But another challenge that, surprisingly, doesn’t gather much press is the auto industry’s job market opportunities. Be it automakers, suppliers or dealerships, there is difficulty in filling a wide variety of positions ranging from engineers to technicians, salespeople and factory line workers. It is estimated that over the next several years the auto industry will have tens of thousands of jobs to fill. These are good jobs that offer competitive wages, benefits and chances to advance and succeed.

Each month the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a unit of the Department of Labor, issues a report called the Employment Situation that chronicles the job and work status across multiple business and industry categories. To actually decipher the 38-page report is a task best left to number-crunching bureaucrats and slide-rule jockeys. But a recent trade publication article reported that the BLS estimates that by 2022, just seven years from now, the auto industry will need 60,000 more auto mechanics than it employed in 2012. Since last summer, U.S. auto service and repair shops increased their head count by 37,800 workers.

The auto industry is going through an evolution – or to some, a revolution – where new technologies and car connectivity are driving the need to source human capital and talent to fulfill the needs of a more demanding consumer. Automakers have manufacturing plants all over the country with a concentration in the Midwest and the South. Silicon Valley is playing a major role in the job generation. The more than 16,000 dealerships across the U.S. employ more than a million people. In Kansas City, dealership employment exceeds 6,600, generating an annual payroll of $415 million. Added to the local mix are the Ford Claycomo and GM Fairfax assembly plants. Their employment and financial impact is substantial.

Some might look with a jaded eye at the challenge of filling the automotive job pipeline, thinking it temporary at best. It is widely believed that the first car sold in America was from the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in 1893. The human element has made the auto industry a primary shaper of our economy for more than 120 years … and will continue to do so for a long time to come.

This story was originally published October 23, 2015 at 7:07 PM with the headline "A fine career choice."