Technology has long played a critical role in the development and production of motor vehicles by Canada’s automotive industry.

The importance of automotive technology has only grown in recent years as investments in new areas of innovation, such as autonomous vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells, promise to revolutionize traditional aspects of transportation. The value of labour market analysis for this component of the broader automotive manufacturing sector becomes clear in light of these trends.

This report provides a summary of current and future labour market conditions for 18 key occupations that are instrumental in the automotive technology space. Occupations fall into one of three broad categories: occupations related to engineering (including technologists and technicians), occupations related to computers and digital systems, and managerial occupations with a technical focus. Evidence from studies of labour mobility suggests highly-skilled workers, such as those sought after by automotive technology employers, are also highly mobile workers, with a willingness to move driven by a strong wage premium for their specialized abilities. For this reason, the outlooks featured in this report consider labour supply and demand at the national level.

Two sets of distinct national labour market outlooks are detailed, both covering the 2021 to 2030 period. In the general case, where all industries are considered, total employment among the occupations of interest is expected to reach 1.08 million workers by 2030. Total labour demand is projected at over 111,000 workers, while nearly 57,000 workers are expected to enter the workforce based on historic trends. Employers are thus expected to face a recruitment gap of nearly 55,000 workers between 2021 and 2030, the equivalent of hiring 6% of the workforce as of 2019.