Number of employees in U.S. automotive industry by sector 2010-2022

Motor vehicle and parts dealers in the United States had just under two million employees on their payrolls in June 2022. The number of motor vehicles and parts manufacturing employees amounted to roughly 990,600 people in June 2022, up from around 928,500 the same month a year earlier. This upward trend in employment does not match with the projected automobile demand in the United States, expected to drop in 2022.

The Chip Shortage Impacts The Industry

Though sharply affected by the coronavirus pandemic, car sales already improved later in 2020. December 2020 showed a higher motor vehicle sales volume than any other month that year. Despite this encouraging rebound, sales dropped amid the automotive semiconductor chip shortage, which led to production cuts and a dwindling vehicle inventory in the U.S.

Effects of prolonged work stoppages and waning demand in 2020

Employees felt the effects of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States in 2020. Factories were closed for a period of time, and J.D. Powers estimated that the industry would produce between two and 2.5 million fewer vehicles, resulting in lost vehicle sales of up to about three million units.