Canada’s automotive employment picture remained mixed in June, with gains among dealers and repair businesses helping offset weakness in parts manufacturing, according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants (DAC).
Combined employment across the automotive sector and closely related industries reached 616,700 employees in June 2026, up 0.5 per cent from the same month last year.
Two of the sector’s largest employment categories recorded stronger gains. Employment at automobile dealers increased 1.6 per cent from June 2025, while automotive repair and maintenance employment rose 2.5 per cent.
Together, those two categories account for close to half of employment across the automotive sector and related industries, highlighting the significant role vehicle sales and service play in Canadian automotive employment.
“It is often forgotten that the majority of auto sector employment in Canada is focused on selling and servicing vehicles,” said Andrew King, Managing Partner at DAC, in a statement.
Manufacturing results were more uneven. Motor vehicle manufacturing employment increased 1.4 per cent year over year in June, although DAC noted that employment in the segment remains well below pre-pandemic levels.
Motor vehicle parts and accessories manufacturing moved in the opposite direction, with employment falling 4.0 per cent compared with June 2025.
The figures come as Canada’s automotive manufacturing sector faces uncertainty surrounding trade relations with the U.S. and the future of some domestic assembly operations.
“That being said, the manufacturing segments of the industry are a crucial part of Canada’s economy and need to be aggressively protected from the ill-conceived attacks of the current United States administration,” said King.
The latest figures show employment in the retail and service side of the automotive industry continuing to grow even as parts of the manufacturing sector face greater pressure.
