The US Needs 70,000 New Auto Techs a Year. GM Is Trying a 30 Under 30 List
Nominations for GM's first 30 Under 30 list of young service technicians close October 30, as US dealers face a 29% shortfall of new auto techs.
General Motors is using a familiar format to attack one of the least glamorous problems in the car business: there aren't enough people to fix the cars. The automaker has opened nominations for its first GM Automotive Service Technicians 30 Under 30 list, open to GM service technicians younger than 30.
Anyone can submit a name, and technicians can nominate themselves. Entries close at 11:59 p.m. ET on October 30, 2026. GM plans to notify winners in late fall, publish the inaugural class in January 2027, and hold an induction ceremony in Detroit.
Judges will look at ongoing technical training, customer service, mentoring, and leadership. Winners get a Milwaukee Tool Packout toolbox with tools, a program jacket, and AI glasses intended to help with diagnostics. GM hasn't said which glasses it will hand out or what software they run. Honorees will also serve as brand ambassadors, pitching the trade to younger recruits.
"Service technicians are on the front lines of innovation as our vehicles become more complex," GM President Mark Reuss said.
A gap the pipeline can't close
The numbers behind the program are stubborn. The TechForce Foundation's 2026 supply and demand report counts about 70,865 annual openings for US automotive technicians against a projected supply of roughly 50,085 new entrants. That leaves close to 21,000 jobs a year unfilled, a 29% gap. The report puts the median automotive technician wage at $49,670.
Interest is picking up. Automotive program completions rose 10.9% in the 2023–24 academic year, the third straight annual gain. Graduates still aren't arriving fast enough to replace technicians who retire or leave the trade.
For dealers, an empty bay is lost service revenue. That pressure grows as EVs, driver-assistance hardware, and software-heavy electronics raise the training bar for every repair.
The award sits on top of GM's existing pipeline. GM ASEP is a two-year college course with paid dealership apprenticeships. Shifting Gears retrains service members for technician jobs in 12 weeks before they leave the military. Technician Excellence rewards dealer techs as they earn certifications.
What GM hasn't disclosed is how many technicians work in its US dealer network, or how many it needs to hire.
