Auto-sector jobs up by 10.2% under Biden but are falling short of 1 million pledge

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden promised to "create 1 million new jobs in the American auto industry, domestic auto supply chains and auto infrastructure." Three years into his term, Biden has made significant progress on this pledge. But at the current pace, he's unlikely to hit the 1 million figure by the end of his current term.

The most basic definition of automotive industry jobs comes from four categories tallied by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There was job growth for each category.

• Motor vehicles and parts manufacturing grew from almost 945,600 jobs when Biden was inaugurated to 1,064,100 in the most recent month available, January 2024.

• Wholesale motor vehicles and parts grew from 342,900 to 383,900 over the same period.

• Retail motor vehicles and parts grew from a bit more than 1.9 million to a bit less than 2.1 million.

• Automotive repair and maintenance grew from 904,900 to a bit more than 1 million.

Together, these four categories produced an increase of 424,700 jobs on Biden's watch, or a 10.2% increase since he became president. 

At the current pace, this would create more than 560,000 auto-sector jobs in the remaining year of his presidential term.

That works out to fewer than 1 million jobs over four years, the number Biden promised. But this calculation doesn't include some jobs that fall outside of these four categories, such as electric vehicle charging stations, which Biden cited in making the promise.

As president, Biden has signed legislation, including a bipartisan infrastructure bill and the CHIPS and Science Act, that were designed to boost networks that underlie the expansion of electric vehicles and advanced electric batteries. 

However, the Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't break out these types of jobs into distinct categories. The Blue Green Alliance, a group of labor unions and environmental organizations that backs pro-environment policies including electric vehicles, estimates that 188,000 new electric-vehicle-related jobs have been created from projects already announced, though this tally includes jobs created before Biden became president and may overlap with jobs counted in the automotive sector totals above.

Adding all 188,000 jobs to Biden's total wouldn't get him to 1 million, and time is running out to reach his ambitious campaign goal. 

Until we see where the final number lands, we'll continue to rate this promise In the Works.