Nearly 80% of dealership HR and management leaders say service technicians are the hardest role to fill.
It’s not just an inconvenience. It’s a bottleneck that slows throughput, pressures retention, and hits revenue.

And this isn’t just a U.S. problem. In Canada, the story is the same:

• Over 5,000 new automotive service techs are needed annually through 2028 just to meet replacement demand (Canadian Apprenticeship Forum).

• Retirements are accelerating, and apprenticeship completions aren’t keeping pace.

• EV adoption is rising, and specialized EV service skills are scarce.

Whether you’re in Toronto or Tampa, the math is clear: if you don’t have a plan for attraction, development, and retention, you’re going to feel it in your service bay throughput and CSI scores.

1. Build a Talent Pipeline Before You Need It

Don’t wait until a lift sits empty. Create a steady flow of candidates by:

• Partnering with local trade schools and high schools, offer guest lectures, facility tours, and paid internships.

  • In Canada, think Centennial College (ON), SAIT (AB), BCIT (BC), or your provincial apprenticeship board.

• Sponsoring labs or scholarships, your logo in a tech school lab sends a strong message.

• Investing in EV training partnerships, look at OEM EV programs or third-party options like UTI, Tesla START, GM ASEP, and Canadian-specific EV technician certifications.

Action Step: Assign one manager to own school and apprenticeship program relationships, with quarterly touchpoints tracked.

2. Make the Role Aspirational

The job description is more than a bullet list—it’s marketing. Show candidates the craft, not just the chores.

• Highlight advanced diagnostics, ADAS calibration, and EV battery work.

• Publish clear career paths, from apprentice to master tech to shop foreman or trainer.

• Share real tech success stories on your careers page and social media, bonus: if you show Canadian techs working on EVs, hybrids, and advanced systems.

Action Step: Rewrite your technician job postings to focus on skill growth, stability, and earning potential, not just “duties.”

3. Streamline the Hiring Process

Good techs won’t sit in your inbox for three weeks.

• Go mobile-friendly, make it possible to apply in under five minutes.

• Keep initial applications simple; request full resumes later in the process.

• Respond fast, two weeks max from application to offer.

• Communicate clearly via phone, text, and email.

Action Step: Audit your current hiring timeline, cut every unnecessary step. In Canada, make sure your process also meets new provincial job posting transparency laws where applicable (e.g., BC, PEI, Ontario by 2026).

4. Activate Your Referral Network

Your current team knows who’s worth hiring.

• Offer more than a one-time bonus, consider ongoing hourly pay bumps, tool allowances, or tiered rewards for referrals.

• Make referral contests part of shop culture, post leaderboards, and celebrate winners.

Action Step: Launch a 90-day referral campaign and track hires against other sources. In Canada, make sure referral incentives comply with provincial employment standards.

5. Fix Retention Before It Costs You

Recruitment is wasted if people walk out the door.

• Offer ongoing certification reimbursement and mentorship programs (and in Canada, cover Red Seal exam prep).

• Celebrate wins, feature techs in newsletters, on social, or at team meetings.

• Close the communication gap, two-thirds of techs say management doesn’t communicate well.

• Give back, support techs who want to speak at local schools, or represent your brand in the community.

Action Step: Run quarterly stay interviews with your top performers to find, and fix, issues early.

Bottom line:
If you want to win in this market, you can’t just “post and pray.” Whether your dealership is in Canada or the U.S., the principles are the same, build your pipeline, sell the role, hire fast, and protect the people you already have. Every lift you keep filled protects both your revenue and your reputation.

Quick-Reference Strategy Table