Technicians want proper equipment, paid vacation, and retirement funds survey results show

The top three things that technicians want from their employer are proper equipment in the shop, paid vacation, and a retirement fund, according to new data from WrenchWay and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). 

The 2026 Voice of Technician Report found that proper equipment in the shop tied with paid vacation as the top things technicians and students felt an employer must offer. 

Eight-seven percent of the 5,500 respondents said equipment and paid vacation were must-haves, while 13% said equipment is nice to have, and 12% said paid vacation is nice to have. 

When the data is separated by working technicians and students, paid vacation was the top choice for 90% of technicians. Only 47% of students said this was a must. 

However, 85% of students and 87% of techs said that proper equipment was a must-have.

The survey was distributed online from Nov. 10 to Dec. 22 to technicians (59%), shop owners and  managers (15%), instructors (20%), and students (4%) working in the automotive, diesel, or collision industries. 

Retirement came in third with 73% of respondents saying it is a must-have, and 25% saying it’s nice to have. When separating technicians from students, 74% of technicians and 68% of students said it was a must-have. 

Paid training followed with 66% saying it is a must-have and 32% saying it is nice to have. The data showed that 67% of techs and 55% of students thought it was a must-have. 

The survey also asked about preferred pay structures. Forty-one percent of respondents said they preferred hourly or salary pay with a production bonus. Another 23% said they wanted hourly or salary pay, and 22% wanted a flat rate with a guarantee.

There was a noticeable difference in the responses based on the type of shop technicians worked at. Forty-three percent of independent shop employees had a preference for hourly or salary with a production bonus, while 43% of dealership technicians also wanted a production bonus option, along with franchise and chain technicians (46%). Yet, fleet technicians (69%) favored hourly or a salary with no production bonus. 

Respondents also said they want a more flexible schedule compared to a 40-hour, five-day work schedule. 

Thirty-five percent of respondents said they wanted a four-day work week with 10-hour days, while 26% said they wanted a traditional five-day work week. 

Overall, 38% said they would accept either option as long as they didn’t have to work weekends. 

The survey also explored how technicians feel about their current employees. 

Only 56% of respondents agreed their shop provides fair compensation, the survey found. This is down 2% from last year. 

Twenty-seven percent said their shop offers a clear career path, and 23% report receiving thorough and consistent performance reviews. 

According to the report, the data show a clear, persistent gap between what technicians say is important and satisfaction with their current employers. 

Only 49% of respondents said their shop provides good benefits, and only 57% said it provides what they need. 

Another 49% of respondents said that their shop provides good benefits. 

Tool allowances also showed a large gap, with 85% of technicians saying this was important and 14% of shops providing it. 

Technicians continue to say they’re unlikely to recommend their career to a friend, with a net promoter score (NPS) only becoming more negative in recent years. 

Only 10% of respondents in 2026 were likely to promote the career, with 20% being passive and 70% detracting. The promoter score was 12%, with 24% passive and 64% detracting in 2025. In 2024, 21% percent promoted their career, 35% were passive, and 45% detracted. 

Dealership employees were the least likely to promote at 5%, followed by franchise or chain shops at 13%. Technicians were slightly more likely to promote an independent (14%) or fleet (16%) shop. 

When asked to rank a list of urgent industry issues, 84% of respondents said higher pay. Another 71% said a better pay structure. 

These two items rose to the top, followed by better management, which received significantly less interest at 15%. 

When asked if the industry is improving overall, 77% of respondents said no. Independent shop technicians had the most hope, with 34% saying they do see improvement. 

While respondents may have a negative outlook on the future, a majority (62%) said they plan to remain in the industry, and 43% said they will probably remain in the industry. 

Yet, 1 in 5 or 21% said they will probably leave the industry, and another 17% expect to retire. 

“The industry needs to ensure that today’s workforce does not shift into the ‘likely to leave’ category,” the report says. “Sustaining the technician pipeline will require addressing the issues driving negative perceptions, such as pay, benefits, workload, and career development, so more technicians see a future for themselves in the industry.”

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