Even as global automakers build new facilities and look to surpass producing 90 million light vehicles for the first time this year (Global Light Vehicle Production Summary, IHS Automotive, March 2016), their workforces are being strained on a number of fronts:
Automakers are facing skills shortages worldwide. In developed markets, this is largely due to fewer qualified workers available to replace retiring workers and fill new positions. For example, the U.K. today needs 2,500 people to fill immediate vacancies in the auto industry – and it may need 50,000 by 2020 (Employers’ Views of the Jobs and Skills Required for the UK Automotive Industry, Automotive Industrial Partnership, February 2016).
