The number of employees in the German automotive industry slightly declined in 2024. On average, 772,900 people were employed in the industry over the year, representing a 1 percent decrease compared to the previous year. Considering the challenging, once-in-a-century transformation project, this is a relatively moderate decline. After a brief pause in 2023, the downward trend in employment that began in 2019 has resumed. As of 2024, employment in the automotive industry has shrunk by nearly 61,000 people since the record high during the boom year of 2018.

Employment among manufacturers of motor vehicles and engines remained roughly at the previous year's level in 2024, with 465,200 employees (±0 percent). Just over 60 percent of all automotive industry employees worked for an OEM last year. Employment increased among manufacturers of car bodies, trailers, and semi-trailers, rising by 1 percent to 40,800 people. This group of manufacturers last had this many employees 30 years ago (1995: 44,100 employees).

About one in three employees in the automotive industry works for a manufacturer of parts for motor vehicles and engines. These companies employed an average of 266,800 people in 2024, a 2 percent decrease compared to the previous year. The last time fewer people were employed in the supplier industry was in 1997 (then averaging 255,600 employees). It is evident that this group of manufacturers is particularly affected by the current challenges of transformation.

Moreover, a shift is also occurring behind the aggregated employment figures. With new technologies and changing requirements for automotive products, the employment profiles within company workforces are also evolving.