With vehicle sales climbing steadily in the post-recession market, tech skills are in high demand in the automotive industry. With possible 2013 vehicle sales in the neighborhood of 15.5 million, the industry is struggling to meet a demand that is reaching a six-year high. In addition to building new floor space and hiring production workers, automakers are also on the hunt for engineers and IT professionals.
According to WANTED Analytics, engineers were the most in-demand employees in the automotive industry in July. Advertisements for engineering positions accounted for 40 percent of the industry's job ads, but tech-related positions helped round out the field in second place. Data from WANTED Analytics also reveals that there were 1,300 job lists for applicants with tech skills in the month of July alone, representing an overall year-over-year increase of 17 percent.
It's not surprising that most of these tech jobs are located in metro areas with a high automotive-industry presence. Cities like Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Toledo, Ohio, offered the most opportunities for technical professionals in the automotive industry. The jobs aren't easy to fill, either. On WANTED Analytics' hiring scale, which ranks jobs on a scale from 1 to 99 based on projected difficulty in recruitment, technology jobs in the automotive industry score a 70; this means that recruiters may have trouble finding appropriate candidates locally, making it more likely that companies will advertise outside of cities like Detroit. WANTED's data estimates that there are no more than a hundred appropriate tech candidates within the Detroit area.
The fact that automakers are seeking job candidates that traditionally migrate to Silicon Valley creates a competition factor for recruiters. Due to the technical innovations in vehicle design in recent years, vehicle manufacturers need software engineers to design protocols and program in-car computers. Ford's 2013 hiring goals include 3,000 salaried individuals, most of which will be IT professionals and software engineers. So far, the company has managed to hire half that number.
Ford isn't alone in the struggle to find good tech talent. Many software job candidates like the warm weather and glossy image of the West Coast tech field. Automakers are working to create a better image for states like Michigan and cities like Detroit. Manufacturers are also increasing salaries, tacking on benefits, and talking relocation expenses to entice tech talent into the Midwest. Competing with giants like Google, Apple, and Microsoft is tough, and experts predict the battle over technical talent will play out for the next few years.
Although a struggle to hire the right technical talent may be rough for the automotive industry, the demand for programmers, coders, and others is good for technical professionals. With automakers ready to pump up salary offers and add special benefits, experienced tech pros come to the table with negotiation material, no matter who the hiring company is.
(Photo courtesy of M - Pics / freedigitalphotos.net)
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