The aftermarket segment that saw employment drop

All but one segment of the Canadian auto care industry saw growth in employment at the end of the third quarter in 2023.

While still touted as a continued “pillar of strength” in the automotive industry as a whole, parts wholesalers saw a 5 per cent decline compared to the end of September 2022.

Parts and accessories stores saw employment rise 7.5 per cent while repair and maintenance had a jump of 6 per cent. Parts and accessories manufacturing fell in line with the overall average, up 4 per cent.

Overall, the automotive industry now has 613,500 employees, down 1.3 per cent below pre-pandemic levels.

Auto dealers, the largest volume employment category within automotive, saw employment increase 4.5 per cent, accounting for 155,200 employees.

“Employment in the automotive space continued to regain ground and, as an aggregate, now approaches pre-pandemic levels,” said Andrew King, Managing Partner at DAC. “However, employment is traditionally a lagging indicator, and with economic headwinds seemingly growing, we hold serious concerns as to the outlook for 2024.”