When TechForce Foundation released its Technician Demand report (Oct. 2017) and Technician Supply report (June 2018), the gravity of the transportation technician shortage was clearly evident. With our current update, we see that not only does this trend continue, but it has even worsened.
This situation is exacerbated by the fact that we are losing ground on both sides; technician demand continues to rise, while the potential supply graduating from postsecondary institutions continues to decrease. The single exception is a slight increase in diesel postsecondary completions, which is a continuing trend from last year.
Although there are other sources of supply for technicians than only postsecondary institutions, the continuing increase in demand for technicians and the general decline in postsecondary completions is only aggravating the existing shortage of trained technicians. The shortage of diesel technicians also continues despite the increase in postsecondary completions.
Download this whitepaper to read the full report.