Recruitment pressure in the UK automotive sector has levelled off, with the latest figures indicating around 16,000 job vacancies across the motor trades sector.
Analysis by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), using data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), shows that vacancies fell from around 18,000 in late 2025 to approximately 16,000 during the November 2025 to January 2026 period.
The figures suggest the short-term spike in hiring activity seen during mid-2025 has not been sustained, with vacancy levels easing as the labour market stabilises.
Motor trade vacancies ease
The latest data places the motor trades vacancy rate at 2.7, positioning the sector third out of 22 UK industries for recruitment demand.
Although vacancy numbers have declined from recent highs, they remain elevated relative to many other sectors. The current rate is around 17% higher than the UK economy-wide vacancy rate of 2.3.
On a year-on-year basis, vacancies in the motor trades are up 14%, but they remain significantly lower over a longer timeframe, with a two-year decline of around 30%.
ONS data also highlights how vacancy trends have evolved over recent years. Motor trade vacancies peaked during 2022, gradually declined throughout 2024, stabilised during much of 2025 and have now eased slightly at the start of 2026.
Across the wider UK economy, the ONS estimates there were approximately 726,000 open roles during the November 2025 to January 2026 period. While broadly stable compared with recent quarters, this total remains below levels seen during the earlier post-pandemic recovery.
Over a two-year period, overall UK vacancies have fallen by roughly 21-23%, pointing to a cooler national labour market.
Skills demand remains steady
Alongside official vacancy figures, the IMI also analyses online job advert activity to understand employer behaviour in the sector.
Data for December 2025 suggests that while overall job posting volumes are lower than the peaks seen in previous years, recruitment activity continues across the industry.
Employers appear to be taking a more cautious approach to hiring, advertising fewer roles per business rather than withdrawing from the market entirely.
Demand remains heavily focused on core technical and workshop-based skills, with roles related to vehicle maintenance and repair continuing to dominate job postings.
The most frequently requested skills include vehicle maintenance, brakes, vehicle suspension, vehicle parts, invoicing, aftersales support and mechanical expertise.
Demand patterns also vary between occupations. Job postings increased year-on-year for tyre, exhaust and windscreen fitters, assemblers and vehicle paint technicians, suggesting ongoing activity in manufacturing and body repair.
By contrast, postings for vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians remained broadly flat during the same period.
Emma Carrigy, IMI head of research, careers and inclusion said: “Recent headlines suggest the UK labour market is cooling. Vacancies are down. Hiring is slowing. Competition for roles is increasing. On the surface, that sounds like pressure is easing.
“But in automotive, it’s not that simple. When we look at the latest data from the IMI Vacancy Tracker, what stands out isn’t the disappearance of labour shortages, it’s a shift from volume pressure to capability pressure. And that’s arguably harder to solve.
“As markets cool, structural weaknesses become more visible. Automotive vacancy rates remain above the national average, but demand is becoming more concentrated around specific technical and diagnostic skills, electrification capability and multi-skilled expertise. This is the phase where workforce strategy really matters. It’s not about how many people we need, it’s about having the right skills architecture for where the sector is heading.
“A cooling labour market doesn’t automatically resolve structural skills gaps. In some cases, it sharpens them. That’s why sector-specific insight matters, and why we need to be careful not to oversimplify the narrative.”