New technology is expected to add 320,000 jobs to the British car industry by 2030, contrary to claims Brexit and mass automation would lead to big lay-offs.
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) said that “embracing technology” would see the sector create a raft of new jobs related to 3D printing, analytical engineering, and cyber-security among other roles — and should prompt significant investment in training for young people.
“Employment in the motoring sector has increased by 11.9 per cent in the last year,” noted IMI chief executive Steve Nash.
“This highlights how the industry is providing a positive landscape for people searching for a new career.”
Nash added that the sector “needs to build new learning environments and training programmes across all levels that can allow technicians to expand their skills, as well as attract new young people into these roles”.
“With 67 per cent of young people saying they would prefer to sidestep university in favour of earning money and 48 per cent choosing to avoid student debt by opting for other choices such as an apprenticeship, the IMI is calling on businesses to take advantage of this by raising the awareness of the career opportunities available to young people,” the IMI noted in a complementary statement.
These positive statements stand in stark contrast to the dire warnings of the Remain campaign’s Project Fear in the run-up to the EU referendum in June 2016, which claimed that a vote to Leave alone would precipitate hundreds of thousands of job losses, with the axe falling on the car industry particularly hard.
The data proved bogus after the public backed Brexit anyway, with the economy continuing to grow and adding a large number of jobs “despite” the result.