AI, Automation and the Human Factor - How Recruitment Is Evolving Across the Aftermarket

Artificial intelligence continues to dominate headlines, often framed as a threat to jobs. Within the automotive aftermarket, this narrative has gained momentum as electrification, connected vehicles, data-led platforms and automation reshape how businesses operate.

But for much of the aftermarket, particularly manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and factors, the reality is far more practical - and far more human

AI is not replacing people. It is reshaping roles, decision-making and, critically, how businesses attract and assess talent.

A workforce evolving beyond traditional role definitions

The aftermarket is undergoing a quiet but significant shift in its professional workforce. As product ranges become more complex and technology-led, demand is increasing for individuals who can combine technical understanding with commercial awareness, analytical capability and leadership skills.

Pressure is being felt across engineering, product management, technical support, sales, supply chain, marketing, data, software and senior management roles. These are not traditional “one-lane” positions. Increasingly, businesses require professionals who can interpret data, translate technical detail into commercial value, manage complex stakeholder relationships and make informed decisions in fast-moving markets.

As a result, recruitment is no longer about replacing like-for-like roles. It is about identifying adaptable individuals with transferable skills and the ability to grow with the business.

How AI is changing recruitment - without replacing judgement

AI and automation are already influencing recruitment processes across the aftermarket. Data-led talent mapping, market insight tools and AI-assisted screening can help speed up searches, identify passive candidates and improve visibility of salary and skills trends.

However, this has also introduced new challenges.

According to CV-Library, 54% of candidates now use AI to help write their CV. While this can improve structure and presentation, it has also resulted in many applications reading similarly, making it harder to distinguish genuine capability, motivation and cultural fit.

In response, recruiters are spending significantly more time on in-depth, human-led screening, typically by telephone or face-to-face, to understand an individual beyond what appears on paper. This approach requires experience, curiosity and the ability to probe beneath surface-level answers. It is not something technology can replicate.

For candidates, there is also increasing exposure to AI-led application screening and automated shortlisting, which can sometimes prevent strong individuals from reaching a hiring decision-maker. While automation has a role, it cannot assess context, nuance or long-term potential in the same way a human conversation can.

The message for candidates is clear - AI can support a CV, but it should not replace personality, authenticity or real-world examples of achievement. Those remain critical differentiators.

Using AI to enhance, not remove, the human element

At Glen Callum Associates, AI is used as a supporting tool rather than a substitute for expertise. It helps improve candidate engagement, identify hard-to-reach talent and provide clearer insight into market dynamics - but human judgement remains central.

The aim is to accelerate hiring while improving decision quality, not to strip the process of conversation, challenge and insight.

Recent UK Government research into AI adoption highlights growing use of AI across commercial, analytical and professional functions, the very roles that underpin aftermarket businesses today. This reinforces the need for recruitment approaches that understand both technology and people, rather than prioritising one over the other.

Preparing for the aftermarket of 2030

Looking ahead, the aftermarket workforce will not shrink, but it will continue to evolve. Roles will become broader, more connected and more strategically aligned to business performance. AI will handle data, pattern recognition and efficiency. People will provide leadership, judgement and direction.

From a recruitment perspective, this places greater emphasis on proactive workforce planning, deeper market understanding and a long-term view of capability. Recruiting purely to fill vacancies will no longer be enough. The focus must shift towards shaping teams that can adapt as the market changes.

As Glen Shepherd, Founder of Glen Callum Associates, explains: “The real risk to the aftermarket isn’t AI replacing people. It’s organisations failing to evolve their roles, structures and recruitment strategies quickly enough. The businesses that succeed will be those that combine digital capability with human judgement and plan their talent strategy with intent.”

By 2030, the automotive aftermarket will still be powered by people, operating in smarter, more data-driven environments, supported by AI rather than displaced by it.

The challenge now is not predicting change – it’s preparing for it.