Skills shortage insights

Industry leaders and organisations are sounding alarms about a deepening skills shortage in the automotive sector, although there are glimmers of hope.

According to Capricorn group CEO Brad Gannon, half of the automotive co-op’s members identified finding skilled staff and apprentices as their biggest business challenge.

The shortage has persisted for more than a decade, with nearly 28,000 technician vacancies in Australia alone.

Contributing factors include negative industry perceptions of automotive careers as low-tech, male-dominated and physically demanding.

In Australian Car Mechanic magazine, Apprentices Are Us general manager Phil Cooksey reported an alarming 17.4 per cent decline in trade apprenticeship commencements compared to the previous year, with automotive and engineering trades dropping 18 per cent.

Mr Cooksey attributes this to the lure of high-paying, unskilled labour jobs that offer immediate financial relief amid rising living costs.

However, both leaders remain optimistic. In his Australian Car Mechanic opinion column, Mr Gannon highlighted initiatives designed to shift perceptions and inspire the next generation of automotive professionals such as Capricorn’s partnership with the Motor Trades Association Queensland (MTAQ) to host nationwide automotive career expos and the expansion of its Rising Stars program.

Mr Cooksey welcomed the federal government’s commitment to introducing 100,000 fee-free TAFE places from 2027 but said more comprehensive support to counter financial pressures on young Australians was important.

Exposure to the industry has proven to be an effective recruitment measure, making it important for everyone in the automotive business to encourage the next generation to explore it as a career option, especially given the revolution now taking place in terms of electrified vehicles and digital technologies, making it a dynamic and tech-savvy field.