Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has recently released updated Industry and Occupation Profiles that provide valuable insights into national workforce trends, wages, demographics and future demand. But for those working in or connected to the automotive sector, a quick search may leave you puzzled – automotive doesn’t appear as a standalone industry.
Instead, automotive-related work is spread across several broader industry categories such as Manufacturing, Retail Trade, and Transport, Postal & Warehousing. This reflects the way official classifications are structured. JSA, like other government bodies, uses the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) system, which defines industries based on economic activity rather than products or services.
As a result, automotive roles are distributed across multiple categories – vehicle and component manufacturing sites within Manufacturing, dealerships and parts suppliers fall under Retail, and fleet services or logistics often land within Transport.
While the automotive sector is large and complex, encompassing everything from vehicle manufacturing and maintenance to sales and logistics, this breadth is also what makes it challenging to capture under a single industry heading. It doesn’t align neatly within one classification box, which means it doesn’t show up as a distinct sector in JSA’s dashboard – even though we know its real-world footprint is significant.
That said, JSA does highlight automotive occupations in detail. Motor mechanics, automotive electricians, panel beaters, vehicle painters and service managers all feature prominently within the Occupation Profiles section of the site. These pages provide rich data on employment numbers, future workforce demand, training levels and regional trends.
But without an overarching industry category, there’s no easy way to view or understand the sector as a whole. This creates a visibility challenge. Policy and planning efforts become fragmented across multiple departments. Training providers have to piece together demand from different areas. Employers and industry bodies are forced to advocate across several fronts. And for job seekers, career advisors and schools, the absence of a clearly defined “automotive industry” risks making the sector less visible and accessible.
Recognising this disconnect is important. Automotive may not be classified as an industry on its own, but its workforce is real, growing and evolving – especially with the rise of electric vehicles, new technologies and increased demand for skilled trades.
There is a strong case for clearer cross-sector reporting and more holistic representation to ensure the automotive sector is accurately captured and supported in national skills planning.
Automotive is everywhere. It’s time to bridge that gap.