It’s been a decade since Business in Vancouver published its Biggest Auto Dealers in Metro Vancouver list, and since then the industry’s workforce has grown by an average of 52.4%.
Over the 10-year period, this would equate to an average annual increase in sales staff of 4.3% for the largest auto dealers in the province. In comparison, employment at B.C.’s largest insurance brokerages and law firms grew by 1.4% and 2.3%, respectively, over the past year.
The median sales staff growth since 2008 for the biggest auto dealers was 33.3%, or an average annual increase of 2.9%. The slower median growth rate suggests that larger companies higher on the list grew faster than smaller companies lower on the list.
Traveland RV Supercentre reported the largest employment growth of the top five auto dealers that were on the list in 2008 and 2018. It grew 85.7% to 39 sales staff in 2018 from 21 in 2008. This bumped Traveland 21 spots from No. 27 in 2008 to No. 5 (tied with Pioneer Chrysler Jeep) in 2018.
Eagle Ridge GM recorded the smallest employment growth of the top five with available data, expanding its staff by 2.7% to 38 in 2018 from 37 in 2008. The dealer consequently dropped from No. 4 in 2008 to No. 7 in 2018 as other Metro Vancouver dealers with higher employment growth surpassed Eagle Ridge.
In 2008, the 30 dealers on BIV’s list had a total staff of 826. By 2018, employment grew by 6.7% to 881 despite the list containing only 21 dealers.
The smaller number of dealerships is in part responsible for the large median and average employment growth.