New survey investigates car design employment trends

New research is being carried out to learn more about the make-up of the global car design industry – from demographics, changing work patterns (and expectations) to career progressions and salary benchmarks.

Produced by Konzepthaus, the annual Employment Statistics and Development study aims to shed some light on all this. Targeted at both employees and freelancers within traditional car design and the burgeoning mobility design sector, it builds on other recent studies including New Work, published in 2022, which revealed a wide variation in working patterns. The findings have not been published yet as the 2023 study is still ongoing, but the results will be made publicly available for free when it closes.

With the survey on-going there are no conclusions to draw just yet, but a look at past trend reports has highlighted some trends to keep an eye on. For example, this month saw International Women’s Day on 8 March, but it is clear this remains a male dominated industry, with men accounting for over 90% of respondents in both 2021 and 2022. Should we expect to see any change to these kinds of figures?

“We don’t really expect much change in the ratio,” observes Martin Groschwald, CEO and founder of Konzepthaus. “The 90/10 split is unfortunately quite the norm. To change that, we will have to focus on three main topics: education in high schools and universities; we need to find out how to make it attractive for women to join the car industry; management also needs to be open to hiring (even if temporarily) outside the traditional hiring space; and creating an understanding of why a women’s perspective can be helpful in the overall process. It is not only about “the sketch” but also about the thinking and why.

Although traditional approaches to car design remain, the influence of digital tools is undeniable and appears to be growing – no less with the influx of AI-led ideation. Is this being reflected in employment trends, or is it a dated view to suggest younger designers are more adept at digital work?

“Younger designers of course are used to a much more digital process nowadays,” says Groschwald, “however we see more and more companies training their employees accordingly.” He notes that, for now, AI is “not too much of a topic as there are too many unclear considerations around it, such as the legal implications.”

Another trend that has become apparent from past reports is that there is a similar level of pay for “design experts” and “team leaders.” However, there is generally quite a sizeable salary gap between “head of design” and “VP of design.” Are there underappreciated differences between those levels of seniority, particularly with designs often being managed on a global level and across multiple group brands?

“A global role is indeed quite different from let’s say “only” running a brand role,” explains Groschwald. “The responsibilities are different, the expectations are different and therefore we see quite a bit of push upwards in the salaries as well. There are some other topics involved as well such as location.” Well-known designers landing a role in China, for example, might enjoy a bit of a boost above their peers in Western markets, at least for new brands looking to land a big name.

We will report back with the findings when they are released, which should be well representative of the design industry with higher participation than ever expected in 2023. You can participate anonymously by following this link.