The automotive industry is growing day by day with the vast majority of new companies making new amazing cars. There are varieties of vehicles in the market ranging from eVs to combustion engine vehicles. These vehicles will eventually need aftermarket services as they cannot do without them.
These aftermarket services render different yet important services to the industry ranging from small automotive ventures to large multinational corporations.
However, if the automotive industry needs aftermarket services, the question is, how many jobs are available in the automotive aftermarket?
There are currently more than 4,000 jobs available in the automotive aftermarket ranging from manufacturers of aftermarket parts to distributors, service consultants, retailers, sales managers, etc.
How Many Jobs Are Available in the Automotive Aftermarket?
Indeed.com statistically stated that there are currently more than 4,000 jobs available in automotive aftermarket and the reason is not far-fetched.
As reiterated earlier, there are vast numbers of cars produced by car manufacturers every year. These cars and their models need to be taken care of, this is where the aftermarket services come into play.
The car manufacturers may not be able to take in the services of over 1 billion vehicles in the different countries of the whole world. The aftermarket services help to take care of these needs.
Also, while producing cars, these companies may not have the workforce in the whole world to keep making factory parts of their cars. The aftermarket manufacturers take charge of that.
For example, if you’re using a Toyota product, you will notice that there are Toyota parts made by OEM and Toyota parts made by aftermarket companies.
The fact that these parts were not made by Toyota themselves doesn’t mean the parts are ineffective and won’t work. These parts work well like the factory-fitted parts, yet they’re an aftermarket product.
Apart from manufacturers, there are also service centers where these cars can be fixed without having to take them back to Toyota themselves.
The mechanic, the vulcanized, the car body worker, the painter, the customer relation specialist, the automobile sales executive, etc. There are so many of them. You just have to find where you fit in and develop yourself there.
List of Jobs Available in Automotive Aftermarket
Here are the list of jobs available in the automotive aftermarket:
- Manufacturers of parts for replacement
- Retailers of these parts
- Car detailing
- Collision Repair
- Used car lots
- Salvage houses
- Aftermarket manager
- Aftermarket sales consultant
- Customer relation specialist
- Automobile sales executive
These are a few of the over 4,000 jobs available in the automotive aftermarket.
Factors Driving the Availability of Jobs in Automotive Aftermarket
The factors driving the availability of jobs in automotive aftermarket are:
1. Growth of Vehicles Manufactured Each Year
The rate at which vehicles are manufactured each year is fuelling the growth of jobs in the automotive aftermarket. Cars manufacturers have different car models they produce every year, sometimes, they introduce new models to the market. What do you expect to happen afterward?
The wide acceptance of eV vehicles by consumers has made the manufacturing of eVs a priority for car manufacturers, all these are driving the diverging growth of aftermarket services, hence the growth of jobs.
2. Rise in the Vehicle Ownership
The fact that people are buying cars means that the aftermarket services will grow, hence the job. If people are not buying cars, the aftermarket services may not grow as expected.
Every year, car manufacturers release new versions of the same vehicle models already in the market and before you know it, it’s already out of stock. These constant demands for vehicles fuel the growth of automotive aftermarket services.
3. Increased Demand of Vehicle Upgrade
This has made the automotive aftermarket services become what it is today. For example, I drive a 2007 Lexus IS350, however, I’ve upgraded the car with the 2021 bumper and lights.
The VLAND lights in my Lexus IS350 is an aftermarket product and it works very well in the car with no issue. I also have aftermarket wheels on the car. These upgrade helps drive the auto aftermarket.
However, it was someone who did the upgrade, and the service of that person is to make the upgrades. He does these upgrades for all persons who wish to upgrade their car and which upgrade parts are readily available in the market. That is his job.
4. Deteriorating Rate of Roads
The deteriorating rate of roads we have in our cities and towns/villages has fueled the growth of jobs in aftermarket services.
You never can tell when your wheel bearing will spoil. You can just be on a long-distance journey and on the way, your ball joints can spoil, but with the services of the aftermarket, you can quickly fix the problem or replace the parts and continue your journey. It’s very simple, yet important and amazing.
Imagine if you’re on an important journey and the deteriorating nature of the road causes your struts to go bad, how will you continue the journey? You see? The importance of the automotive aftermarket services cannot be overemphasized.
5. Aging Vehicles Parts
It is OK to use a car manufactured in 2007 but you should be ready to fix any parts that go bad. Not all parts of the car are manufactured to last forever, however, when these parts go bad, you can make use of the aftermarket services to either fix or replace them.
Moreover, not everyone has the funds to buy new cars, therefore if you can afford an old model, manufactured years back, as long as it’s in good condition, you can go for it. Even new car parts get damaged not to talk of used cars.
Who are the Key Role Players in the Aftermarket Industry?
The key role players in the aftermarket industry are the repairers which include mechanic, motor-body, structural and non-structural, spare parts suppliers, retailers, and dealers.
These role players can either operate independently or be appointed by the OEM to provide the required services to their customers.
Conclusion
There are more than 4,000 jobs in the automotive aftermarket. Therefore, if you’re looking to pursue a career automotive industry, you have a variety of job opportunities waiting for you to graduate.
Moreover, automotive aftermarket services were estimated to be worth $383 billion in 2020 contributing more than 2.3% to GDP and $205.81 billion in 2022, imagine what the numbers are in 2023, so pursuing a career path in the automotive industry is not bad.
