Motor trade vacancies increased to 16,000 in January to March 2026, up from 14,000 in the previous period, an increase of 14%.
The vacancy rate also rose to 2.4 vacancies per 100 employees, compared with 2.3 in December to February.
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), said although vacancy levels remain below the highs recorded in 2025, this month’s increase suggests recruitment activity may be starting to stabilise.
Motor trade vacancy levels increased in March 2026, contrasting with the wider slowdown in UK hiring and suggesting demand for skilled workers remains resilient.
Across the wider labour market, vacancies continued to decline. Total UK vacancies fell to 710,000, while the overall vacancy rate remained at 2.2.
Each month, the IMI analyses UK job vacancy data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to track recruitment pressure in the motor trades sector.
Although vacancies rose in March they are still -17% lower than a year ago and 38% lower for the two-year period.
