McLEAN, Va. -

Salespeople are hardest to retain, women and Generation Y workers are on the rise, and F&I managers tend to have the highest income growth — these are just a few of the results of a new report aimed at helping dealers meet the challenges of recruiting and retaining top talent.  

The National Automobile Dealers Association this week unveiled its second annual industry report on car and truck dealership employee compensation, benefits, retention and turnover, as well as hours of operation and work schedules.

The 2013 Dealership Workforce Study Industry Report was produced in partnership with DeltaTrends, a provider of workforce metrics for the auto industry. The report is based on 2012 hard data culled from 290,000 car and truck payroll records, and includes both national and regional data. More than 2,240 dealerships enrolled in the 2013 Dealership Workforce Study.

Topics covered include comparisons by luxury and non-luxury franchises, compensation by size of dealer group, and the impact of working hours on retention.

“This is by far the most comprehensive and timely study on the dealership workforce ever produced, and serves as a tremendous resource to help dealers step up their game to gain an edge on the competition,” said NADA Chairman David Westcott.

“Special thanks go to the many dealerships that made this study possible by participating, as well as the invaluable support provided by state and metro Automotive Trade Association Executives,” he said.

Among key findings of the report: 

—On average, dealership employees earn 27 percent more than the average weekly earnings of all U.S. private sector employees.

—F&I managers had the highest income growth, at 8.4 percent, followed by service managers at 8 percent and sales consultants at 7.8 percent.

— The median income of individual dealership employees is nearly equal to the 2012 U.S. median household income of $51,017.

—Total dealership employee turnover in 2012 dropped one point to 35 percent from the previous year, lower than the estimate of employee turnover in the private sector, which is 41 percent per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

—Sales consultant is the highest turnover position, at 62 percent.

—The percentage of females hired by dealerships increased two points, to 19 percent, over the previous year.

—The percentage of Generation Y employees now in the dealership workforce, at 23 percent, is equivalent to the estimated ratio of employed Gen Y workers in the total U.S. workforce.  

The NADA report also noted specific challenges dealerships can make on the recruiting front. Those include creating staffing models that reduce total hours dealership employees are required to work; shifting the focus from individual-based sales incentives to team-based awards; and taking steps to draw more women into dealership positions. 

“Finding and retaining talent is one of the greatest business challenges that dealers and OEMs face in today’s retail market,” said DeltaTrends president and founder Ted Kraybill. “NADA, with the support of its members, is taking a strong leadership position in tackling the problem. DeltaTrends is proud to team up with NADA to make dealerships a greater place to work.”

To purchase the 2013 Dealership Workforce Industry Report, visit www.nadauniversity.com/workforcestudy.

The opportunity to participate in the 2014 study will open to NADA and American Truck Dealer member dealers at the NADA Convention in New Orleans, in January.