DEI Industry Study

In 2023, MichAuto partnered with the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion, and Advancement (CADIA) for a DEI industry study, Driving Diversity: Unlocking the Power of Diverse Workforces for the Future of the Transportation Industry. This study, funded by MichAuto and the State of Michigan in partnership with KPMG, establishes key baseline data, provides benchmarks for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and provides recommendations on how to impact the DEI measures found within the study.

This DEI study is an extension of MichAuto’s High-Tech Talent Strategy to strengthen Michigan’s global competitiveness in the automotive, mobility, and technology industries.

The broader initiative is being funded by a grant through the State of Michigan’s Mobility Futures Initiative with the goal of growing high-tech talent in Michigan and bringing to life the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification’s MI Future Mobility Plan.

• Diverse employees have higher representation in manufacturing and operations roles and are underrepresented in selling, general, and administrative expenses (SG&A) roles and leadership positions.
• 51% of STEM degrees were awarded to ethnically diverse individuals in 2021, but only 19-30% of salaried roles are held by racially and ethnically diverse workers.
• Racially and ethnically diverse employees are underrepresented in senior leadership and management roles (22%) relative to their representation in the industry (33%) and the overall U.S. workforce (38%).
• Women make up 24% of the workforce in the transportation industry but 47% of the overall U.S. workforce.
• Women are the most underrepresented in skilled trades and technical positions, with only 7% of craft workers and 18% of technicians identifying as female.