Motor Trade vacancies fell to 13,000 in May and are now 28% lower than a year ago and 41% below levels recorded two years ago.
The Institute of the Motor Industry, which published the stats, said the longer-term trend suggests employers remain cautious about recruitment despite continued demand for technical staff.
Vacancy rates stay above many sectors of the economy, but recruitment demand has weakened more quickly than the wider labour market over the past year.
Motor Trades recorded 2.3 vacancies per 100 employees, ranking 9 out of 23 industries.
Despite weaker recruitment demand, Motor Trades remains one of the higher-ranking sectors for vacancies, placing ninth out of 23 industries. The sector has improved its position compared with earlier periods, rising three places since winter 2025.
This suggests that while employers have reduced overall hiring activity, competition for skilled workers remains stronger than in many parts of the economy. Persistent demand for technicians and specialist workshop staff continues to create workforce pressures across the sector.
The strongest growth in the latest period came from skills linked to vehicle inspection, diagnostics, and workshop operations. Vehicle inspection (+29%), detail oriented skills (+31%), and organisational skills (+51%) all increased, alongside growth in mechanics (+20%) and suspension (+20%).
This suggests employers continue to prioritise servicing, repair, and maintenance capability as workshops focus on efficiency, diagnostics, and vehicle safety.
By contrast, customer-facing and management-related skills weakened. After sales support (-44%), sales (-30%), and management (-21%) all declined in the latest period.
Overall, the data suggests employers remain focused on filling core technical and workshop-based roles, while recruitment demand for customer-facing and supervisory functions has softened.
