This year, the Automotive Service Association expanded its How's Your Business? survey to include more categories, including occupation, market size and annual sales size.

Logic dictates that the greater the market size, the greater the number of repairs and the greater the number of employees necessary to meet customers' needs.

According to survey results, the average collision business employs 1.71 entry-level technicians. (Fractional data is provided, as it may be helpful in analyzing specific positions to determine if cross training or multitasking would be beneficial.)

This changes, based on market size, as follows: in cities under 10,000 population, there are 1.48 entry-level technicians; 10,000 to 25,000 = 1.30; 25,001 to 100,000 = 1.44; 100,001 to 500,000 = 1.59; and over 500,000 = 2.27 entry-level technicians.

Journeyman technician numbers also vary among market sizes. While the average collision business employs 3.81 journeyman technicians; businesses in cities with under 10,000 population employ 2.62 journeyman technicians. The numbers of journeyman technicians in other market sizes are: 10,001 to 25,000 = 2.92; 25,001 to 100,000 = 4.09; 100,001 to 500,000 = 3.73; and over 500,000 = 4.84.

Office staff/claim administrator numbers show collision businesses average 2.26 such employees. Different market sizes employ slightly different numbers of office staff/claim administrator employees. Market numbers show cities with populations under 10,000 have 1.50 such employees; 10,001 to 25,000 = 2.14; 25,001 to 100,000 = 2.11; 100,001 to 500,000 = 2.58; and populations over 500,000 = 2.59.

An average of 1.65 entry-level painters is employed by a collision business. Like other categories, this varies with market size: populations under 10,000 = 1.09; 10,001 to 25,000 = 1.36; 25,001 to 100,000 = 1.70; 100,001 to 500,000 = 1.62; and over 500,000 = 1.91.

Journeyman painters make up the difference in total painter numbers with an average employment of 1.74. One-and-a-half journeyman painters are employed in markets with populations under 10,000. Other market numbers include: in cities of 10,000 to 25,000 people, there are 1.68 journeyman painters; 25,001 to 100,000 = 1.90; 100,001 to 500,000 = 1.64; and over 500,000 = 1.89.

Estimator numbers also show an average of 1.74 employees. Other market numbers include: cities with under 10,000 = 1.37 estimators; 10,000 to 25,000 = 1.29; 25,001 to 100,000 = 1.73; 100,001 to 500,000 = 1.50; and over 500,000 = 2.28.

Production managers, parts managers and general managers tend to be one each regardless of market size. This makes sense in that these individuals manage physical and clerical workflow rather than production.

Next month, AutoInc. will break out the various positions within the mechanical repair business, their market size and the average number needed.

Stat Corner is written by Denise Caspersen, ASA's research management specialist. She can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 236.

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