The State of the Nation report is Capricorn's landmark survey, taking a peek under the bonnet to understand the current state, issues and emerging challenges facing automotive industries in Australia and New Zealand.
More than 1,900 Capricorn Members across the two countries responded to the 2022 survey, providing a credible and useful snapshot of the industry across all business types - from mechanical workshops to panel & paint, the commercial sector and more.
According to the 2022 report, maintaining a good work-life balance and finding time to take a break remains a significant challenge for many. Parts shortages and the rising costs of parts have also affected the industry and finding and retaining qualified staff is still a major challenge for many business owners.
The State of the Nation report deciphers these challenges and provides key insights and opportunities designed to help member's businesses grow and succeed.
On the flip side, the report also found that 62% of respondents were "extremely happy" or "very happy" with their career in automotive, and that "making customers happy" was the leading positive of working in the industry.
David Fraser, Capricorn Group CEO, reflected "despite a couple of Covid-chaos years, the mood generally remains positive. Making customers happy, solving their vehicle's problems and the variety of work continue to drive the positive sentiment."
Capricorn CEO of Automotive, Brad Gannon, is also positive that despite whatever challenges and changes might impact the industry, there is a theme of resilience that can be found within the Capricorn State of the Nation 2022 report.
"Whether it's Covid, electric vehicles, diagnosing more complex vehicles — whatever it is — the industry finds a way to adapt to it, to evolve with it, to meet that new reality. The industry has shown itself to be a great group of problem solvers."
The Capricorn State of the Nation 2022 report is a research project designed to gain an in-depth understanding of current issues and trends facing the Australian and New Zealand automotive service industry.
Out of the 1900 respondents 10% were collision repairers described as panel and paint. This report is available to all Australian and New Zealand automotive trade (including non-Capricorn Members) and can be downloaded online here.