Job market information
Finding out about vehicle rental and leasing
The vehicle rental and leasing industry is part of the automotive retail sector, represented by the IMI Automotive Sector Skills Council, which also includes: vehicle maintenance and repair; vehicle sales; and vehicle parts, distribution and supply. The UK automotive retail sector employs an estimated 514,572 people, accounting for 1.9% of the UK workforce. Future growth for the whole sector is forecast to be an increase of 2% by 2017.
The vehicle rental and leasing industry comprises the rental and leasing of all cars, light motor vehicles and trucks, which includes:
- light motor vehicles and vans up to 3.5 tonnes
- land‐transport equipment without drivers
- trucks, haulage tractors, trailers and semi‐trailers
- recreational vehicles
Key facts:
- The vehicle rental and leasing industry accounts for 7.3% of all employment in the automotive retail sector.
- There are an estimated 4,000 business units in the industry.
Jobs in the industry include: fleet controller, fleet manager, vehicle returns inspector, service technician, telephone receptionist.
Entry and progression
There are no formal qualifications required to enter this role, but employers will look for good literacy and numeracy skills. Employers may also look for experience within rental and leasing and some qualifications in general business and administration. Employers may carry out their own in‐house training on the systems and processes they use. There may be an element of sales within this role, convincing the customer the employer is offering them the ‘best’ deal and so some employers may look for some experience in sales and retail.
There are opportunities within the industry to move around and work for a range of different employers, such as franchised dealerships which are owned by the manufacturers, or privately owned rental and leasing companies. The skills adopted in this line of work are transferable and may be applied to other non-technical roles such as office and HR support.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
33,026 |
|---|
| Number of UK employers: |
estimated 3,995 |
|---|
| Note: The following data are for the automotive retail sector as a whole. |
| Gender: |
82% male |
18% female |
|---|
| Less than 1% of all staff working in skilled trades is female. |
| Ethnicity: |
6% of the workforce is from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background |
|---|
| Age: |
17% of workforce is 16‐24 years |
|---|
| 48% 25‐44 years |
| 35% over 45 years |
| 86% of the workforce work full‐time. |
| 7% of workers are migrant workers. |
| 16% of workers are self-employed, running their own businesses or specialising and contracting out to larger, established organisations. |
[N.B. Data derived from Annual Business Inquiry, 2008 and Labour Force Survey, 2008.]
Employment trends and future prospects
The greatest growth in jobs has been in the vehicle rental and leasing industry, which has seen a 9% increase in the number of jobs since 1998. However, there has been little change in employment numbers since 2008. The industry only accounts for 6% of overall sector employment in the UK. Employment in the industry is forecast to rise to 33,922 by 2017.
Skill requirements and shortages
Skill shortages are most likely to occur where employers are recruiting people into skilled trades and professional occupations. However, for the vehicle rental and leasing industry there are no specific shortages.
Occupational trends
There are no data on occupational trends by industry. The following data are for the automotive retail sector as a whole.
Automotive retail sector occupational distribution
| Managers and Senior Officials |
20.2% |
|---|
| Professional Occupations |
1.1% |
|---|
| Associate Professional and Technical |
4.8% |
|---|
| Administrative and Secretarial |
11.7% |
|---|
| Skilled Trades Occupations |
34.2% |
|---|
| Sales and Customer Service Occupations |
0.1% |
|---|
| Personal Service Occupations |
12.7% |
|---|
| Process, Plant and Machine Operatives |
9.1% |
|---|
| Elementary Occupations |
6% |
|---|
There is a significant gender bias within most occupations in the automotive retail sector with men outnumbering women in almost all occupations. 86% of all managerial positions are held by men. Women make up the majority of workers in administrative and secretarial roles, where they account for 70% of workers.
National and regional data
East Midlands – There is an estimated 3,250 jobs in the industry, which is an increase of 60% since 1998. The East Midlands accounts for 11% of all employment within the vehicle rental and leasing industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is set to decline by 4% in the region by 2017.
East of England – There is an estimated 3,020 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 2% since 1998. The East of England accounts for 10% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is set to increase by 4% in the region by 2017.
London – There is an estimated 3,937 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 18% since 1998. London accounts for 13% of all employment within the vehicle rental and leasing industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 14% in the region by 2017.
North East – There is an estimated 859 jobs in the industry, which is a rise of 12% since 1998. The North East accounts for 3% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 11% in the region by 2017.
North West – There is an estimated 3,899 jobs in the industry, which is a fall of 28% since 1998. The region accounts for 13% of all employment within the vehicle rental and leasing industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 4% in the region by 2017.
South East – There is an estimated 5,061 jobs in the industry, which is an increase of 23% since 1998. The South East accounts for 17% of all employment within the vehicle rental and leasing industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is set to increase by 17% in the region by 2017.
South West – There are an estimated 3,649 jobs in the industry, which is an increase of 6% since 1998. The region accounts for 12% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 16% in the region by 2017.
West Midlands – There is an estimated 3,840 jobs in the industry, which is an increase of 54% since 1998. The region accounts for 13% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to increase by only 1% in the region by 2017.
Yorkshire and the Humber – There is an estimated 1,964 jobs in the industry, which is a rise of 6% since 1998. The region accounts for 7% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to increase by 15% in the region by 2017.
Wales – There is an estimated 931 jobs in the industry, which is a rise of 17% since 1998. Wales accounts for 2% of all employment within the industry and 4% of all employment in the automotive retail sector. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to decline by 2% by 2017.
Scotland – There is an estimated 2,748 jobs in the industry, which is an increase of 40% since 1998. Scotland accounts for 8% of all employment within the industry. The automotive retail sector as a whole is forecast to increase by 1% by 2017.
The following data is for the automotive retail sector as a whole:
Northern Ireland – The automotive retail sector has seen a growth in employment over the past decade, to an estimated 13,893 jobs. Employment is forecast to continue to increase by 17% by 2017. It accounts for 3% of all national employment within the automotive retail sector.
Salary levels
Typical salaries range from £16,000 ‐ £45,000 from a fleet controller to a senior management role.
For more information on pay scales in the industry see Autocity 
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using IMI Automotive AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
