Unfiltered with Chris Andrews: How Automotive Businesses Can Do More with the Team They Already Have

How Automotive Businesses Can Do More with the Team They Already Have

It was a pleasure once again for our team to spend time alongside Klipboard customers at our latest event at Mercedes Benz World.

As well as enjoying the incredible selection of cars on display and test driving the latest Mercedes models on the racetrack, a real highlight was facilitating conversations between businesses in the automotive industry.

It’s not uncommon for shared challenges and themes to evolve across these conversations. Cash flow is almost always a primary issue, along with concerns around the growing risk of fraud and the push for greater efficiency.

However, it was the future of the industry and the ongoing talent shortage that really stood out to me on this occasion.

Diagnosing The Automotive Talent Gap

The automotive industry's talent shortage is well documented.

There were around 16,000 vacancies in the sector in the UK as of March 2026, and while this number has fallen slightly from the end of 2025, it’s still a 17% higher vacancy rate than the national average.

Almost a quarter (24%) of all job postings in the sector are for vehicle technicians – the most in-demand role in the industry. Paint technician salaries – one of the hardest positions to fill in the industry according to the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) – have risen by 28% over the last two years.

For an industry of over 100,000 businesses that contributes £37 billion to the economy each year, these are worrying signs.

When I asked our customers why this was happening, they identified a few key reasons:

• The EV transition means staff need to reskill

Electric vehicles accounted for almost a quarter (23.4%) of all new car registrations in the UK during 2025. This has doubled since 2021.

EVs require a completely different skillset than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. They’re essentially computers on wheels – technicians are often dealing with advanced diagnostics software and reading fault codes, not traditional components like clutches or spark plugs.

What’s more, the physical components they do work on – high-voltage batteries, electric motors – are often completely different to that of ICE vehicles.

The hybrid-powered Mercedes models we drove aren’t immune to this shift either – combining electric and petrol powertrains, they’re potentially even more complicated to service.

It’s enough for EVs and hybrids to pose as ‘bad news’, as many of our customers told us.

• The workforce is approaching retirement

The issue presented by the EV transition is made worse by the fact much of the automotive workforce is approaching retirement age.

When workers retire, they take decades of knowledge with them, along with the opportunity to mentor and develop younger staff.

A garage may not be inclined to fund EV training for a mechanic or technician who is likely to retire in just a few years. Similarly, as one of our customers pointed out, it’s understandable that workers approaching retirement won’t be as motivated to retrain and learn new skills required for EVs.

This remains a significant issue for the sector. The IMI predicts that, if not addressed, this churn will create a need for 160,000 workers by 2031.

• There’s little awareness of the industry among young workers

What makes the churn and ageing workforce worse is the challenge the automotive industry has attracting fresh talent. This was a recurring issue our customers cited – the perception of the industry and the lack of awareness among younger generations.

Research conducted by IMI found that, among school-age children, just 16% had considered the automotive industry as a career option. Many young people still associate the industry with traditional garage work, rather than the software, diagnostic and computer-oriented field it’s now become.

At the same time, the automotive industry is in direct competition with industries like technology, software, renewable energy, electrification and engineering for the same types of people, and some of these fast-growing verticals have the capital to offer far more attractive salaries.

If You're Struggling to Find Talent, Free Up the Talent You Already Have

There’s no silver bullet solution to the hiring challenge facing the automotive sector.

The prevailing opinion among the customers we spoke to is that increasing salaries would help attract young talent and improve retention. But for businesses already tight on cash flow, short on staff and lacking in resources, that's not always realistic. And even when it is, it doesn't solve another challenge: getting the most from the team you already have.

The growing burden of admin is one of the most common challenges we hear from customers. Yet in many ways, lost admin time is a talent problem in disguise.

Every hour a technician or service advisor spends on admin tasks like chasing a payment or filling out paperwork is an hour they're not turning wrenches. When you're already short-staffed, it's time you can't afford to lose.

One garage in the East of the UK told us they had tens of thousands of pounds in unpaid invoices at the end of each month, with the workshop’s two-person office left chasing customers for hours.

When talent is hard to find, you’ve got to make the most of the people you’ve already got.

Technology can’t solve the automotive talent shortage. But by removing unnecessary administration, automating routine tasks and speeding up payments from customers, garages and motor factors can free up valuable time for employees to focus on higher-value work.