In 2019, dealerships posted more job openings than ever before. But the number of applicants per open job is dropping and it is taking more applicants per hire to get the job filled.

This imbalance of supply and demand of labor means the biggest challenges dealers face is keeping stores staffed. Exacerbating the issue is the phenomenon known as “lost applicants,” those people who have applied for a job at a dealership but who have received a delayed response or no response at all.

“Last year, 2 million people tried to work for us and we did not get back to them in a timely fashion,” said Hireology Co-founder & CEO Adam Robinson, during a NADA Live Stage session presented by Hireology. While dealerships respond to online consumer leads within 24 hours or less, it takes them five days or more to get back to a job applicant. “The biggest thing we can do to staff our dealerships is review applicants faster, respond quickly and have a consistent applicant process,” Robinson said.

Watch this video to see Robinson’s data on the percentage of job applicants interested in automotive careers versus other industries, the most effective marketing channels for reaching job applicants, and how much the entry-level labor pool (ages 16-24) has dropped over the last 10 years. And be sure to catch our other live coverage all weekend from the NADA Live Stage.