Québec Retail Auto Sector Employment Predicted To Continue Growing in 2020
At the Montréal International Auto Show, happening from January 17 to 26, the Cars and Jobs Team was present to facilitate the connection between job seekers and the auto retail sector through its new platform.
“Over the past few years, we have been hearing consistently from our dealers throughout Québec and Canada that they need to hire new talent in a variety of positions,” said Denis Dessureault, executive vice-president of the Montreal Automobile Dealers Corporation (MADC), its Foundation, and the Montreal International Auto Show (MIAS). Factor in the ongoing retirement of older workers and overall industry growth, and you have a sector that is keen to welcome new hires. We predict that 2020 will be a continuation of this trend: where workers of all skill levels are needed in dealerships throughout the country.”
Despite recent economic challenges and uncertainty surrounding auto tariffs, Canadians continue to purchase greener and technologically advanced vehicles at record rates. 2019 was another solid year with over 1.91 million new vehicles sold across the country and ranking among the top-five selling years on record.
Opportunities to work in dealerships continue to grow across Canada as employment in the overall auto industry has been consistently growing in the last decade. In 2019, the retail auto sector employed over 50,000 people in Québec alone. According to Statistics Canada, it is also a segment of the retail sector which pays better than most, with auto industry weekly earnings averaging $1,130 nationally compared to average weekly earnings of $610 for the retail sector at large. In Québec, the weekly earning average for auto retail jobs is $1,135 compared to $592 for all retail sectors.
As it stands, jobs in over 3,200 car and truck dealerships across Canada need to be filled in a variety of positions, including in marketing, finance, sales, parts, IT, service and management roles.
