This page provides information and data on the Automotive Vehicle Body Repair sector, which is one component of the Automotive industry.
Activities in the Automotive Vehicle Body Repair sector focus on repair and modification service work for registered vehicles. Activities of workers in the sector include:
Most of the businesses in this sector are either sole proprietors or small businesses. The sector is becoming increasingly competitive and complex due to factors such as technological change, the rising cost of imported materials and capital expenditure associated with compliance requirements. As a result of these trends, there has been business consolidation and rationalisation, the adoption of Small and Medium Area Repair Techniques (SMART), and the establishment of partnerships with insurers.
Nationally recognised training for the Automotive Vehicle Body Repair sector is delivered under the AUR – Automotive Retail, Service and Repair Training Package.
For information on other automotive related industry sectors, visit the Automotive cluster page.
Information sourced from the most recently available Skills Forecast, the Automotive IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast.
All data sources are available at the end of the page.
The Automotive IRC was not required to submit an annual update to their 2019 Skills Forecast during 2020. As such, the version published in 2019 remains the most recently published Skills Forecast for this industry.
Automotive Vehicle Body Repair Industry Reference Committee
Please note: any employment projections outlined below were calculated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics prior to COVID-19.
Census data indicates that there were 36,161 people employed in the Automotive Body, Paint and Interior Repair industry class in 2016. Within this industry class, some of the main employing occupations are Panelbeaters, Vehicle Body Builders and Trimmers, Vehicle Painters, Motor Vehicle Parts and Accessories Fitters and Car Detailers.
Employment numbers in these occupations varied over the period between 2000 and 2020 but overall have not increased greatly, particularly for Panelbeaters and Vehicle Painters where the 2020 employment levels are less than those recorded in 2000. Employment numbers are expected to decrease for Vehicle Body Builders and Trimmers, Vehicle Painters and Motor Vehicle Parts and Accessories Fitters by 2024.
In 2019 there were close to 4,310 program enrolments in Automotive – Vehicle Body Repair-related qualifications, up from the 2018 enrolment numbers of approximately 4,270. Completions have also increased with 1,050 recorded in 2019.
A significant proportion of enrolments were at the certificate III level (88%). Just over half of the enrolments in 2019 were for qualifications relating to Automotive Body Repair Technology (53%) with the main intended occupation of Vehicle Body Builder, and a further 40% of enrolments were for qualifications relating to Automotive Refinishing Technology with the only intended occupation of Vehicle Painter.
More than half of the enrolments in 2019 were at TAFE institutes (56%), with most of the remaining occurring at private training providers (43%). The majority of subjects were Commonwealth and state funded (87%), with the remaining split between domestic fee for service (7%) and international fee for service (6%).
In 2019, close to a third of students were from New South Wales (34%), followed by Victoria (23%) and Queensland (22%). The majority of training was delivered in the eastern states, including New South Wales (32%), Victoria (25%) and Queensland (23%).
Apprentice and trainee commencements and completions have both decreased overall between 2010 and 2019. After a slight increase between 2016 and 2017, commencements have declined to approximately 1,280 in 2019. There were roughly 620 completions in 2019, increasing slightly from close to 610 in 2018. The main intended occupations for these apprenticeships and traineeships were Vehicle Painter and Vehicle Body Builder. Approximately a third of apprenticeships and traineeships were reported by New South Wales (32%), followed by Victoria (26%) and Queensland (20%).
For more data specific to your occupation, industry or training package, visit NCVER’s VET students by industry. If you are prompted to log in, select cancel and you will continue to be directed to the program.
For more data specific to your region visit NCVER’s Atlas of Total VET.
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The Automotive IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast ranks a list of generic skills in order of importance for each industry sector. The top five ranked generic skills for the Vehicle Body Repair sector are:
The Automotive IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast identifies Vehicle Body Repair as one of the sectors where training components have not yet adapted to advancements in technology. The Vehicle Body Repair sector has been impacted by a range of new technologies which influence the type of skills and knowledge required in this sector, including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and paintless dent repair (PDR). As a result, a review of Vehicle Body Repair qualifications is underway to ensure training is adapted to technological advancements that are impacting on:
The New South Wales (NSW) Government is reviewing the law regulating the NSW automotive industry. The Statutory Review of the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act 2013 Discussion Paper identifies four major trends in automotive technologies: electrification, automation, connectivity and sharing. As technology used in cars becomes more complex, work that was once simple requires a higher skill set and there is a need for greater skills, training and specialised equipment. The inclusion of new qualifications in the Regulation for new technologies such as hybrid, electric and automated vehicles is vital for consumer safety and industry demand.
A report prepared by the Economics and Industry Standing Committee in Western Australia has identified two key factors contributing to the contraction of the Australian smash repair industry. Firstly, the continued decline of reportable accidents in Western Australia has in turn driven down demand for smash repairs which creates financial pressure for individual smash repair firms. Secondly, the use of new technologies which allow for quotations to be prepared from digital images as opposed to physical vehicle inspections have created cost barriers, as owning and running these new software systems is becoming cost prohibitive for many owners of smash repair businesses.
Below is a list of industry-relevant research, organisations and associations. Hyperlinks have been included where available.
Statutory Review of the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act 2013 Discussion Paper – New South Wales. Better Regulation Division, Department of Customer Service
Western Australia's Smash Repair Industry: Structural Challenges – Western Australia. Economics and Industry Standing Committee
Australian Association of Progressive Repairers
Australian Motor Body Repairers Association (AMBRA)
Auto Recyclers Association of Australia (ARAA)
Auto Parts Recyclers Association of Australia (APRAA)
Auto Recyclers Association of Australia
Commercial Vehicle Industry Association Australia (CVIAA)
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries
Institute of Accident Assessors (IAA)
Institute of Automotive Mechanical Engineers (IAME)
Motor Traders’ Association of New South Wales (MTA NSW)
Motor Trades Association of Australia (MTAA)
Motor Trades Association of Australian Capital Territory (MTA ACT)
Motor Trades Association of Queensland (MTA Queensland)
Motor Trade Association of South Australia and Northern Territory (MTA SA/NT)
Motor Trade Association of Western Australia (MTA WA)
Tasmanian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (TACC)
Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC)
Department of Employment 2020, Employment Projections, available from the Labour Market Information Portal
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2020, Employed persons by Occupation unit group of main job (ANZSCO), Sex, State and Territory, August 1986 onwards, 6291.0.55.003 - EQ08, viewed 1 August 2020 https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6291.0.55.003May%202020?OpenDocument
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, 2016 Census – employment, income and unpaid work, TableBuilder. Findings based on use of ABS TableBuilder data.
Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Students and Courses from the following training package or qualifications:
This includes superseded qualifications and training packages.
Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:
Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill-sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Location data uses student residence. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions, please refer to the Total VET students and courses: terms and definitions document.
Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.
Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. This can lead to situations where the total sum of proportions in a chart may not add up to exactly 100%.
AUR Automotive Retail, Service and Repair Training Package apprentice and trainee data has been extracted from the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection, including:
Generic skills data have been extracted from the Automotive IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast.
