The new workforce driving Australia’s Aftermarket

A quiet transformation is taking shape in Australia’s workshops. While headlines focus on EV adoption or new supply chains, another revolution is unfolding where it matters most: in the people behind the tools.
According to Jobs and Skills Australia’s 2025 Jobs and Skills Report, the number of female Motor Mechanic apprentices has quadrupled since 2015. Women now represent 11.5 percent of all trade apprenticeships, up from less than seven percent a decade ago.
At a time when Motor Mechanics remain one of Australia’s top ten shortage occupations, the growing participation of women in technical trades offers the most reliable lever to close the gap.
The maths is simple: more women in the workshop means more skilled hands on the tools, more service bays in action, and more capacity for growth across the after-sales sector.

The opportunity curve
For after-sales operators, the rise of women in the trade represents more than diversity, it is a capacity expansion story.
The automotive aftermarket depends on throughput: more qualified technicians mean shorter wait times, faster service cycles, and better margins.
If the trend observed between 2020 and 2024 remains steady, a realistic six percent increase in female participation across automotive trades could add around 1,500 extra qualified technicians by 2032: enough to materially ease current workshop constraints.
Culturally, this wave is reshaping how workshops could present themselves.
Employers report measurable improvements in staff engagement, customer trust, and retention in mixed-gender teams1. Simply put, diverse workshops will perform better.

The calibration challenge
With opportunity comes calibration, both literal and cultural.
Despite the growth, the path for women entering the trade remains uneven. Many still face outdated attitudes, limited access to mentorship, or a lack of facilities designed with inclusion in mind.
The Jobs and Skills Report 2025 notes occupations with lower female representation also suffer from more persistent skill shortages, underscoring the link between diversity and resilience.
The challenge for the aftermarket industry is twofold. First, to ensure that workshop environments are safe, welcoming, and geared toward long-term careers. Second, to modernise the perception of what “being a mechanic” means.
As the job becomes increasingly technical (involving software updates, sensor calibration, and system diagnostics) the industry must promote these evolving skillsets to attract new entrants, especially women, who may not see themselves reflected in traditional trade imagery.
Finally, solving the skills shortage thanks to apprenticeships will rely on ongoing support from the Federal Government.
From January, employer support for taking on apprentices will drop from $5000 to $4000 per apprentice. The Motor Trades Association of Queensland (MTA Queensland) is already urging the Federal Government to reverse planned cuts to apprenticeship incentives, warning the reductions will worsen Australia’s automotive skills crisis.

The road ahead
The expansion of women in automotive apprenticeships isn’t a side story.
A decade ago, female mechanics were statistical outliers. By 2025, they are a recognised and rising force in the workforce powering Australia’s vehicles.
As the Jobs and Skills Report 2025 makes clear, skills shortages aren’t disappearing anytime soon. But the sector’s response can redefine what the next decade of growth looks like.
The question now is whether the industry is ready to welcome the workforce that will keep it moving, increasingly, one led by women.

This column was prepared for AAA Magazine by Fifth Quadrant, the AAAA’s partners in the AAAA Aftermarket Dashboard which is delivered to AAAA members each quarter.

For more information about its services, visit www.fifthquadrant.com.au or contact Ben Selwyn on ben@fifthquadrant.com.au

i 2025 Jobs & Skills report – page 16
ii Autotalk.com.au/news/automotive-group-slams-apprenticeship-incentive-cuts