Nearly 109,000 Auto Retailing Positions Available in the U.S.

Nearly 109,000 Auto Retailing Positions Available in the U.S.

Nearly 109,000 career jobs are available at U.S. auto dealerships, according to a newHarris survey sponsored by Automotive Retailing Today (ART). The study found that the highest need was in the South Atlantic region (which includes Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia) which has 25,149 job vacancies.

The study 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, ART chairman. –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 ethic, technical and managerial training into a variety of careers within dealerships.”

According to 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 job vacancies, as reported in the ART survey, include the South Atlantic, West South Central and Midwest states.

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, 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. Details about the more than 40 different careers found in auto dealerships are available at www.autocareerstoday.org.