CDK’s 2026 Dealership Workforce Study finds 80% of all employees are satisfied with their jobs, down from 82% in last year’s study but up from 74% in 2024. The rate is lowest for survey respondents who have three years of experience or less (64%) and highest for those with more than 10 years on the job (83%).

Economic uncertainty (40%), difficult customers (33%) and the uncertain future of the auto industry (32%) remain the most cited stress factors among dealership employees. Nearly half (48%) of Gen Z respondents list customers among their stressors, significantly higher than Boomers (35%) or Millennials (30%). Analysts say this may indicate younger employees are being forced to deal with the hardest cases.

Twelve percent of respondents report earning more than $200,000 in annual compensation, up from 6% a year ago; only 11% report earning less than $50,000, down from 13% a year ago. More than three-quarters (77%) of all dealership employees make between $50,000 and $200,000 per year.

More than one-third (36%) of all respondents plan to leave the dealership within the next 10 years, but only a small number (5%) say they will depart within six months. Inadequate compensation (52%), dealership mismanagement (44%) and inadequate benefits (43%) are the most frequently cited reasons.

“When we look at the most dissatisfied with their job — the group of employees with one to three years of experience — the majority are Gen Z. But they’re just as likely to leave their roles as those with four to seven years of experience,” analysts note. “Those with less than a year are by far the most likely to leave, with half saying they’re considering a move in the next five years. They had zero respondents thinking they’d leave in six to 10 years, the only group to not offer that response.”

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