More than a third (37.3%) of Autotech Recruit’s contractors are in their 30s, compared with just over one in five (21.93%) vehicle technicians across the UK, according to new analysis. The findings suggest that contracting is an established career option for technicians in their 30s, rather than predominantly those approaching retirement.
The figures, drawn from Autotech Recruit’s contractor network and compared with The Office for National Statistics (ONS) workforce data, reveal a striking difference in the age profiles of automotive contractors and the wider technician workforce.
Vehicle technicians aged 30–39 make up the largest single age group within Autotech Recruit’s network, with their representation approximately 70% higher than across the wider UK technician workforce.
The generational breakdown also reveals that Millennials (approximately aged 30–45) account for more than half (51.92%) of contractors, followed by Generation X (approximately aged 46–61) at 25.48%.
With an average contractor age of 41, the findings challenge the perception that contracting is primarily an option for those approaching retirement.
Simon King, CEO of Autotech Group, comments: “What’s particularly interesting about these findings is that contracting clearly isn’t confined to technicians approaching retirement. People in their 30s make up the largest proportion of our contractor network and are significantly more represented than they are across the wider technician workforce.
“These are experienced professionals in the middle of their working lives, often balancing career ambitions with family commitments and other priorities. It challenges some of the traditional assumptions about who chooses to contract and why.”
While permanent workshop roles remain the traditional career path for many vehicle technicians, contracting offers an alternative that can provide greater control over working patterns and assignments.
Previous Autotech Recruit research, involving more than 300 technicians, highlighted the importance of work-life balance, with 72% of those aged 35–54 prioritising predictable working days.
For Autotech Recruit contractors Jake, 41, and Usmaan, 35, the flexibility and opportunities offered by automotive contracting have provided an alternative way to build their automotive careers.
Jake, who has more than two decades of experience in the motor industry, joined Autotech Recruit in 2022 after reconsidering his career during the Christmas break. Now working as a contract vehicle technician and MOT tester, he values the independence contracting provides.
“You’re trusted to do the work you’ve been brought in for. Once the day’s done, it’s done and dusted. There’s no constant pressure – you’re left to get on with the job,” he explains.
For Usmaan, contracting initially offered a route back into employment after relocating and struggling to secure a permanent position. With 16 years of automotive experience, he has since built a contracting career spanning different manufacturers and workshops, while continuing to develop his technical skills.
“I think it was the other way around – contracting chose me,” he says, reflecting on how he first entered the contractor workforce.
Now four years into contracting, Usmaan has also benefited from the flexibility to balance work with family commitments.
The shift towards temporary and contract working is not confined to automotive. The latest KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs, published in October 2026, found that temporary billings increased for the sixth consecutive month in September. Although the rate of growth had slowed, the findings point to continued demand for temporary staffing across the wider UK labour market.
According to Simon, the findings reinforce the need for a broader approach to automotive workforce planning: “Permanent employment remains fundamental to the automotive industry and will continue to be the right choice for many technicians. But contracting provides another way for experienced professionals to remain in the sector while having greater choice over how they work.
“The industry rightly puts a lot of focus on attracting the next generation, but getting people through the door is only part of the challenge. We also need to create an industry where skilled people can build careers in different ways and, crucially, want to stay.”
Autotech Recruit says its findings highlight the importance of accommodating different working preferences. Contractors can provide businesses with additional skills and capacity alongside permanent teams, while giving technicians another route through which to build a long-term career in the automotive industry.