Motor vacancies up to 16,000 in first quarter of 2026
Motor vacancies increased to 16,000 in the first quarter of the year, according to The Institute of Motor Insurers’ Vacancy Tracker.
Based on Office for National Statistics figures, this is up from 14,000 in the previous quarter and means there are now 2.4 automotive vacancies for every 100 employees.
Demand was strongest for vehicle technician roles, which was up by 74%, while HGV technician roles in March were 18% higher than March last year.
The data also found that job titles linked to apprenticeships fell by 59%.
Meanwhile, strongest growth from January to March was seen in skills linked to vehicle inspection, diagnostics and workshop operations. Vehicle inspection was up 29%, detail-oriented skills rose 31%, organisational skills increased 51%, while there was also growth in mechanics (20%) and suspension (20%).
By contrast, after sales support skills dropped 44%, sales skills were down 30%, and management skills decreased by 21%.
Across the wider labour market, vacancies fell from 832,000 in mid-2024 to 710,000.
