With the growing technician shortage, it’s more important than ever for shops to focus on keeping their technicians happy. But what exactly is it that technicians are looking for in an employer?
That’s exactly what we sought to find out when we released our 2023 Voice of Technician survey. Nearly 650 technicians, students, and professionals working in the automotive and diesel industries completed the survey, giving us a solid feel for:
- How satisfied technicians are with their job
- What’s important when looking for a new employer
- Industry issues
- And more!
We’ve analyzed the data, summarized it, and we’re excited to announce it is now available for download on the WrenchWay website! Not only do we summarize all the findings, but we also broke a lot of the questions down to look at what automotive technicians vs. diesel technicians vs. students had to say.
Download 2023 Voice of Technician Survey Summary
While we highly recommend downloading the full report, we’ve included a few high-level takeaways below.
3 Takeaways from the 2023 Voice of Technician Survey
- Overall technician satisfaction levels are… not great.
Like it or not, a technician’s satisfaction level depends greatly on how happy they are with their current employer. We asked respondents how much they agree with several statements regarding their current employer to gauge satisfaction levels. Topics included compensation, training, communication, etc. Unfortunately, none of the numbers are great. Even with the highest rated statement (“The shop provides fair compensation”), only 66% of respondents said they slightly or strongly agree—leaving one third to disagree. - The number one industry issue that needs to be addressed… Tools.
We asked technicians about several industry issues including pay, lack of respect, and training, and, the industry issue that technicians feel needs to be addressed the most is tool investment. It’s no secret that technicians have to invest a large amount of their own money into their tool collection. This is especially true for young technicians just entering the workforce—creating a large barrier to entry for young people interested in the trade. - Nearly half of technicians have considered leaving the industry.
For reasons related to pay, physical and mental demand, the cost of tools, poor management, and lack of respect (to name a few), 49% of technicians have considered leaving the industry altogether. When we looked at automotive vs. diesel technicians, we discovered that more automotive technicians have considered leaving the industry than diesel.
Download the Full 2023 Voice of Technician Survey Summary + Upcoming Webinar
The full report contains so much data, insights, and trends, so be sure to check it out.
Download the 2023 Voice of Technician Survey Summary
We’re also going to be hosting a webinar Wednesday, December 6th at 2pm ET / 1pm CT where WrenchWay co-founders, Jay Goninen and Mark Wilson will discuss highlights from the survey, as well as provide additional insights and context.
The webinar is free to attend, but you must register!
