Introduction
The Mexican automotive industry is facing a persistent challenge: the scarcity of specialized talent. This issue was highlighted in the Tendencias del Entorno Laboral en la Industria Automotriz México (TELM) 2025 study, published by Kelly in collaboration with local clusters.
The Challenge of Finding Specialized Talent
Verónica Villa Montoya, coordinator of the Human Capital Committee in the Querétaro Automotive Cluster, explained that internal surveys within their organization also reflect the need for specialized talent. The requirements focus on operational personnel and administrative profiles, with an increase in human capital for the quality area.
Externalization of Processes as a Solution
To address this talent shortage, companies are turning to the externalization of processes. According to the TELM study, 44.5% of companies already have externalized processes, which help reduce costs and provide access to specialized talent. The Querétaro Automotive Cluster even launched a subcommittee for recruitment to share best practices and candidate profiles.
Factors Influencing Employee Turnover
Norma Godínez, Director of Human Resources at Kelly México, emphasized that as specialization increases, it becomes more challenging to identify specialized talent. However, companies are implementing greater retention strategies. The study reveals that three factors continue to influence employee mobility: salary, growth opportunities, and benefits.
In-Demand Skills in the Automotive Industry
Among the positions the industry needs, technical profiles, specialists in engineering, multilingual personnel, and others are sought. Language skills remain a significant challenge when attracting talent, despite having well-qualified candidates who lack interaction skills necessary for training, technical roles, or international projects.
The Role of Externalization
Externalization has proven to be a viable solution for specialized personnel in various areas, such as preventive and corrective maintenance, manufacturing and assembly, storage, logistics, distribution, warranty, quality assurance, industrial manufacturing engineering, and recruitment.
Leaders’ Perspectives on Talent Acquisition and Retention
The study reveals that industry leaders acknowledge the difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified personnel. For 49.1% of respondents, it has been moderately challenging to attract talent, while 24% find it very difficult. Only 17.1% claim to have faced insignificant difficulties.
Collaborative Efforts to Address Talent Challenges
In this context, Kelly, in collaboration with the Aguascalientes Industrial Cluster, the Advanced Manufacturing and Automotive Industry of La Laguna Cluster, the Sonora Automotive Cluster, and the Querétaro Automotive Cluster, presented the TELM 2025 study results.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main challenge faced by the Mexican automotive industry? The scarcity of specialized talent is a persistent challenge.
- What strategies are companies using to address this issue? Companies are turning to externalization of processes and implementing greater retention strategies.
- What factors influence employee mobility in the automotive industry? Salary, growth opportunities, and benefits significantly impact employee turnover.
- What skills are in high demand in the automotive industry? Technical profiles, engineering specialists, multilingual personnel, and interaction skills are sought after.
- How are industry leaders addressing talent acquisition and retention challenges? Industry leaders acknowledge the difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified personnel, with 49.1% finding it moderately challenging and 24% very difficult.
