Memorial Day: Top Auto Sales Weekend of the Year

Consumers Flock to Showrooms This Weekend - Despite Critical Dealership Employee Shortage, With Nearly 109,000 Job Vacancies Nationwide

MCLEAN, Va., May 25, 2007; While millions of Americans hit the road this Memorial Day weekend, auto dealerships also will see more customer traffic than during any other time of the year. Despite a steady flow of customers, dealers nationwide are experiencing a shortfall in filling nearly 109,000 good jobs, according to a new study by Automotive Retailing Today (ART), a coalition of major automobile manufacturers and dealer organizations.

"At a time when the auto industry is undergoing significant change, franchise auto dealers have a good news story about thousands of well-paying jobs currently available at dealerships across the country," said Carter Myers, chairman of Automotive Retailing Today. "America's franchised auto dealers are hanging out the help wanted sign. There is a great demand for qualified, technically savvy and educated employees."

Veterans Employment

As consumers visit local dealerships this Memorial Day weekend, there is a good chance they will be served by a U.S. military veteran. ART's study revealed that military personnel easily transition to dealership positions and as evidenced by the nearly 30,000 military veterans hired at since 2004.

"After their military service, veterans can and do parlay their work ethics, technical and managerial training into a variety of careers within dealerships," continued Myers.

Memorial Day weekend not only represents a time for the country to commemorate those lost in Service but also reminds us that transitioning veterans looking for a second career have unique skills. ART's study shows that one-third of the nation's auto dealers reported hiring at least one veteran between January 2006-March 2007. This makes the total number of military vets hired in the last three years close to 30,000.

In January 2004, ART joined forces with the U.S. military to promote dealership hiring of recent military veterans. The initiative, known as Hire the Heroes, provided links for auto dealers with military outplacement agencies to post job vacancies and attract transitioning veterans to available jobs. The pool of recent military veterans includes technologically savvy, motivated workers whose skills and military training may be easily adaptable to a variety of dealership positions.

"Many U.S. veterans leave the service with significant technical and management training that is immediately transferable to auto dealerships, particularly in the area of auto technicians," said Charles S. Ciccolella, assistant secretary of labor for Veterans' Employment and Training. "Many men and women have completed a great deal of this training and some earned technician certification while in the Service."

South Atlantic States Have Highest Need

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) the shortage of employees (108,814 vacancies) is largely due to growing dealership customer services, retirements and strong vehicle sales. Regions of the U.S. with the greatest number of vacancies, as reported in the survey, include the South Atlantic, West South Central and the Midwest states.

  Specific regional opportunities include:

  South Atlantic
  (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina,              25,149
  South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia)

  West South Central
  (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas)                              18,443

  Pacific
  (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington)                    14,660

  Midwest
  (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin)                      13,156

  Mid-Atlantic
  (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania)                                11,436

  North Central
  (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska,                        8,168
  North Dakota, South Dakota)

  Mountain
  (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico               8,125
  Utah, Wyoming)

  East South Central
  (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee)                          5,804

  New England
  (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire                    3,876
  Rhode Island, Vermont)

  Sales and Service Jobs in Greatest Demand
  According to ART's study, current vacancies by job function include:
  -- Sales: 45,698 vacancies  (Est. Salary Range for Sales Positions
     $31,000-$118,000)
  -- Service: 36,456 vacancies  (Est. Salary Range for Service Positions
     $28,000-$96,000)
  -- Collision Repair: 7,695 vacancies  (Est. Salary Range for Collision
     Positions $31,000-$64,000)
  -- Parts: 6,491 vacancies (Est. Salary Range for Parts Positions $22,000-
     $63,000)
  -- Dealership Administration: 5,159 vacancies (Est. Salary Range for
     Administration Positions $21,000-$163,000)
  -- Other (porters, car washers, detailers, etc): 7,315 vacancies (Est.
     Salary Range for Other Positions $21,000-$33,000)

Details of the 2007 jobs survey, estimated salary ranges (NADA), benefits, and the 2006 attitudes & perceptions survey are available at: http://www.autoretailing.org/. The study, conducted by Harris Interactive(R), March 28 - April 12, 2007, surveyed 742 franchised new car dealers in the U.S. about the estimated number of vacant positions in their dealerships.(1) Details about the more than 40 different careers found in auto dealerships are available at http://www.autocareerstoday.org/.

About ART

ART, a coalition of all major automobile manufacturers and dealer organizations, works to promote a better understanding of the retail side of the automotive industry and to build stronger customer relationships through shared research and development programs. ART attempts to dispel outdated perceptions of franchise auto dealerships and automotive careers. For more information, visit http://www.autoretailing.org/ or http://www.autocareerstoday.org/

About Harris Interactive(R)

Harris Interactive Inc. (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/), based in Rochester, New York, is the 12th largest and the fastest-growing market research firm in the world, most widely known for The Harris Poll(R) and for its pioneering leadership in the online market research industry.

(1) Harris Interactive conducted an online survey from March 28 - April 12, 2007, among 742 authorized representatives of new car dealerships in the U.S. The National Automobile Dealers Association, which represents the approximately 20,000 car and truck dealerships, provided the sample and Harris Interactive had no knowledge of, interaction with, or control of the sample. Data were weighted based on the number of new units sold and for region, according to NADA targets for those. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the sampling error is ±3.6 percentage points.