Auto Career Start, a solution to the increasing labour needs of Quebec automobile dealerships

In Quebec, an automobile industry employee earns an average weekly salary in excess of $1,000, double the average retail industry salary.

MONTREAL, Jan. 17, 2019 /CNW/ - Auto Career Start will be attending the Montreal International Auto Show to offer prime career opportunities to Quebec job seekers.

"Auto Career Start is one of the best solutions for people looking for quality employment, as various provincial and national studies have shown," states Astrid Mauger, marketing specialist for the CADA.

In fact, Statistics Canada data from the first three quarters of 2018 shows that the Quebec automobile sector offers an average weekly salary of $1,028, which is nearly double the average retail industry weekly salary, estimated at $539.

Moreover, a high demand for labour in the industry was highlighted by Quebec's comité sectoriel de la main d'œuvre des services automobiles (CSMO-Auto) in its most recent sectoral analysis in 2017. The same report indicated that average hourly wages in Canadian automobile dealerships could reach up to $22.66/hour, which is far higher than the provincial and federal minimum wage.

In addition, a recent survey of Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) members shows that 99.5% of respondents plan on hiring between one and six people, 44.7% plan on hiring between six and twenty over the next 12 months, and 4.7% intend on filling more than 20 positions in their dealership within the next year.

Automobile dealerships employ just over 34,000 employees in Quebec and more than 150,000 people across Canada. The automobile sector has also experienced one of its best years in terms of vehicle sales, with nearly 2 million vehicles sold in 2018 across Canada.

"The automobile industry features a wide range of positions, not just in mechanics and sales, but also in human resources, administration, accounting and even information technology," says Mauger.

It was as a result of such findings that the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) launched the Auto Career Start program last June. Auto Career Start connects job seekers to available careers in their area in the automobile industry.

"The message is simple: there's room for everyone in the automobile industry; we're inviting all Quebec job seekers to boost their future and launch their career today!" adds Mauger.

The Auto Career Start program aims to promote the many rewarding and well-paid career options available in automobile dealerships all over the country. The Auto Career Start program mainly targets millenials, women, new Canadians and veterans. The program features an online platform which connects job seekers to vacancies in new vehicle dealerships across Canada, on top of providing valuable training and job search advice. Visit https://autocareerstart.com/.

SOURCE Auto Career Start

Catherine Fortin LeFaivre, Auto Career Start team 613-979-8683 (cell), [email protected]; Barbara Barrett, Auto Career Start team, 343-998-8906 (cell), [email protected]