Automotive News Canada - January 2024 - 19

* JANUARY 2024
19
2023 RETAIL SALARY SURVEY
Pressing the right hot buttons for hiring
Initial attraction to working
in automotive retail
I was interested in cars I was interested in cars
job opening and ended up staying
th-oriented/good career prospects
People-based business
Chance job opening and
ended up staying
Growth-oriented/good
career prospects
People-based business
Network/family or friend
Helping people
Family business
Stable companies
Network/family or friend
Helping people
Family business
Stable companies
e office/sociable work environment
Digital/technology based
Comfortable office/social
work environment
Digital/technology based
32%
29%
29%
21%
20%
20%
22%
15%
10%
10%
7%
Ways to retain staff
Half of managers (51 per cent) reported losing at least one employee,
with 68 per cent saying they could have retained the employee
with the following:
A raise or bonus
A raise or bonus
ance with workload/stress management
Increased visibility and recognition
Additional time off
Assistance with workload
or stress management
Increased visibility
and recognition
Additional time off
ty and workarounds of childcare/family
responsibilities
Flexibility, work-arounds of
child care/family responsibilities
child care/family responsibilities
Promotion
Promotion
Promotion
Company perks (parking spot,
providing an office, etc.)
Company stock
Company stock
ompany perks (parking space/office etc)
Company stock
46%
46%
32%
26%
25%
12%
12%
12%
6%
6%
Two-thirds of employees are
looking to leave or have left
Reasons that 68 per cent of staff are leaving, or are
considering leaving
Work-life balance issues
Work/life balance issues
Manager is hard to work with,
Manager is hard to work with,
ed workload without additional pay
Toxic workplace culture
or is not a good manager
Increased workload without
additional pay
Toxic workplace culture
Toxic workplace culture
manageable workload expectations
Unmanageable workload
expectations
Unmanageable workload
expectations
Left for other reasons (Better
pay/opportunities/fit only)
Left for other reasons
(better pay, opportunities, fit)
to (or continue to) work from home
Lack of diversity in the workplace
Lack of diversity in the
Wanted to (or continue to)
work from home
Lack of diversity in the
workplace
8%
5%
5%
ger is hard to work with/not a good
manager
38%
38%
32%
31%
31%
31%
22%
Low- or
no-cost
ways to
retain
staff
22%
49%
36%
Passionate survey respondents
light the way for a strategy to
bring on more staff just like them
By TODD HUMBER
T ORONTO CORRESPONDENT
THE REASONS EMPLOYEES CHOOSE TO WORK
at a dealership - from the love of cars to opportunities
for career growth - can become an advantageous
hiring tool for managers looking to
reel in fresh talent.
Nearly half (49 per cent) of respondents
in the 2023 Automotive News Canada
Salary Survey said a love of cars is the biggest
reason they were drawn to automotive
retail. Also ranking high were opportunities
for growth and career prospects (32
per cent) and that it's a people-based business
(29 per cent).
Those ingredients can craft the perfect
career pitch to attract talent, said Kiljon
Shukullari, the human-resources advisory
sales support manager at Peninsula
Canada, a Toronto HR consulting firm.
" The survey data is very powerful, " he
said, and can guide the wording of job postings
and help during interviews. Joining
a dealership also makes them an industry
insider and gives them access to information
about new and upcoming automotive
products, and that's a compelling story to
tell.
" They'll be selling or working on a
product they love, " Shukullari said. " It's
avant-garde. You're going to be at the forefront
of new developments.
" We are in that phase now where we're
starting to head to fully electric [vehicles],
and you can start at the bottom and go as
high as maybe leading a dealership or a
group. "
Shukullari has seen a shift to providing
clear career paths. That's especially true
for people new to the industry who don't
know the different roles available and prefer
to know their career trajectory from
the start, he said.
" They want some kind of reassurance
that if I'm putting my commitment into
something, how is that going to develop
over time? What are the timelines? "
LOOK BEYOND THE INDUSTRY
Finding the right talent often means casting a
wide net, said Jordan Rees, president of Automotive
Careers Group, a recruitment firm with offices in
Alberta, Ontario and Texas. That search includes
looking outside the industry.
One of Rees' most memorable hires came after he
was impressed with the service while shopping for a
high-end watch.
Salary by education
High School or
less
Including commissions and bonuses, before taxes and deductions (in thousands of dollars)
$198.6
High School or
less
High School or
less
High school
or less
Some
High School or
less
postsecondary
Trade schools
University
Some Post
Secondary
Some Post
Secondary
Some Post
Secondary
Some Post
Secondary
Trade
Trade
Trade
University
Trade
University
University
$198.6
$198.6
$150.1
$198.6
$150.1
$150.1
$143.9
$150.1
$143.9
$143.9
$200.9
$143.9
$200.9
$2009
Average Salary
vs. 2022
Average salary
versus 2022
Average Salary
vs. 2022
+$7.4
+$7.4
+$7.4
-$11.7
+$7.4
-$11.7
-$11.7
-$6.1
-$11.7
-$6.1
-$6.1
+$1.0
-$6.1
+$1.0
$
Average per cent
commission 2023
Average %
Commission
52.4
52.4
41.0
52.4
41.0
41.0
35.6
41.0
35.6
35.6
44.0
35.6
44.0
Rees: Look
beyond the
showroom for
talent - such
as someone
selling luxury
watches.
FILE PHOTO
Shukullari:
Promote auto
industry jobs
as being " at
the forefront
of new
developments, "
and also
articulate a
clear career
path.
FILE PHOTO
" I recruited that individual, who made substantially
less than they would have in the automotive
industry, and they went on to have a great career, "
Rees said. " They were well-spoken, polished, articulate
- all of the things you were looking for - but
were probably making $65,000 to $70,000 a year selling
luxury watches. "
In 2023, the average pretax salary - including
commission and bonuses - at a dealership in
Canada was $169,800, according to the Automotive
News Canada survey.
A lot of salespeople outside automotive receive
excellent training - including industries such as
electronics and door-to-door salespeople,
Rees said.
" I like those people - talent that can
sort of elevate the game rather than the
retreads that are probably bringing some of
the problems they've learned along the way
that maybe you don't want to bring into
your dealership, " he said.
Rees is not a fan of posting openings
on job boards because it leads to a flood
of resumes from unqualified individuals.
" What comes through is mostly nonsense, "
he said.
A more effective tactic is to use employee
referrals and target high-performers at
other dealerships directly, he said. They're
harder to reach because they don't have
their noses buried in help-wanted ads, Rees
said, but those are exactly the people dealerships
want.
The survey found that 68 per cent of
workers have considered leaving or found
another job for a variety of reasons, including
work-life balance, bad management or a
toxic workplace culture.
CONNECTING WITH SCHOOLS FOR TECHS
When it comes to attracting technicians,
Rees gives the industry a bit of a failing
grade.
" High schools are not doing us any
favours, " he said. " They've started to shift
a little bit back again, though, to recognizing
the fact that trades are a great spot to
go. "
Dealers also must step up efforts to create
co-op positions for high school students
to do some job shadowing and see the
opportunities, Rees said.
" Maybe they can start as a technician,
but how many service managers started off
on the bench and worked their way up? " he said.
" There's a lot of mechanically inclined people, but
they've historically been pushed into other less fulfilling
job opportunities. "
Peninsula Canada's Shukullari said other solutions
include sponsoring or attending events at
nearby trade schools and technical colleges to raise
awareness and network with students.
" Some of them require a small cost, " he said,
" but you want to put your name and brand out
there for these individuals. " - ANC
Average Salary
vs. 2022
Average Salary
vs. 2022
Average %
Commission
Average %
Commission
52.4
Average %
Commission
# hours worked
# hours worked
47.5
# hours worked
Weekly hours
worked 2023
# hours worked
47.2
47.5
47.5
47.5
47.2
47.2
49.3
47.2
49.3
49.3
45.9
49.3
45.9
9
Automotive News Canada - January 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - January 2024
