Business Brokers

ANZSCO ID 612111

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
660
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
74%
Female Share
17%
Average age
53

Summary

Business Brokers operate as independent agents in the buying and selling of businesses.

Also known as: Business Agent.

Specialisations: Franchise Broker.

A certificate III or diploma in real estate practice or property services is usually needed to work as a Business Broker. Some workers have a university qualification in related areas such as business, management and accounting.

Tasks

  • Accepts and lists businesses for sale and analyses their performance and market value.

  • Provides advice to buyers on the merits of businesses and the terms of sale.

  • Advises vendors of sales and marketing options such as sale by auction.

  • Catalogues and details businesses for sale and arranges advertising.

  • Assesses buyers' needs and locates businesses for their consideration.

  • Offers valuations and advice for buying and selling businesses and structures the terms of settlement.

  • Monitors and addresses non-compliance with terms and conditions of the sale.

  • May arrange finance, land brokerage, conveyancing and maintenance of business premises.

Characteristics

Job Type
Sales Workers
Skill Level
Medium skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Real Estate Sales Agents, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 74% of people employed as Business Brokers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 8 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 46 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Wholesale Trade
41.3%
2
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services
28.3%
3
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
9.6%
4
Financial and Insurance Services
4.6%
5
Other industries
10.2%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

28.5% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

28.8% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

26.1% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

4.9% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

10.4% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

0.9% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

0.0% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Business Brokers All Jobs Average
NSW 28.5 31.6
VIC 28.8 25.6
QLD 26.1 20.0
SA 4.9 7.0
WA 10.4 10.8
TAS 0.9 2.0
NT 0.5 1.0
ACT 0.0 1.9


  • Around 71% of Business Brokers live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Queensland and Victoria have a large share of employment relative to their population size.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
53
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
17%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Business Brokers is 53 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 17% of the workforce. This is 31 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Business Brokers All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 0.8 9.3
25-34 8.5 22.9
35-44 17.7 22.0
45-54 25.2 21.6
55-59 15.6 9.0
60-64 13.1 6.0
65 and Over 19.1 4.2
Median Age 53 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

A certificate III or diploma in real estate practice or property services is usually needed to work as a Business Broker. Some workers have a university qualification in related areas such as business, management and accounting.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Retail Services VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Business Brokers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 14.2 10.1
Bachelor degree 30.5 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 19.6 11.6
Certificate III/IV 14.8 21.1
Year 12 13.8 18.1
Year 11 2.4 4.8
Year 10 and below 4.7 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Real Estate Sales Agents who have strong interpersonal skills, communicate well, provide good customer service and are well presented.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 64%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 63%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 63%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 63%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 61%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 59%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 59%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 57%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 55%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

  • 54%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 54%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 52%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 52%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 50%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 50%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 48%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 46%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 46%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 45%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 39%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 71%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 63%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 62%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 62%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 61%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 57%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 57%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 47%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 46%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 44%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 43%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 41%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 38%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 29%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 28%

    History and archeology

    Events of the past, their causes, how we learn about them, and how they influence the way we live today.

  • 28%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 27%

    Philosophy and theology

    Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.

  • 20%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 18%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

  • 18%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 66%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 66%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 63%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 63%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 61%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 57%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 57%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 55%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 55%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 55%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 55%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 54%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 54%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 54%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

  • 52%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 46%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 41%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 41%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 41%

    Speed of recognition

    Quickly make sense of and organize things you can see like letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 37%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 74%

    Influencing people

    Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.

  • 74%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 72%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 72%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 68%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 67%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 67%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 67%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 67%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 66%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 65%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 61%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 60%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 59%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 57%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

  • 57%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 56%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 56%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 55%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 47%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 81%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 48%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 33%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 19%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 19%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 81%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 81%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 76%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 76%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 71%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 62%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 98%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 97%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 91%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 89%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 88%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 88%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 87%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 87%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 86%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 85%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 85%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 84%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 78%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 75%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 68%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 68%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 67%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 56%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

  • 55%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 54%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 41-3031.01 - Sales Agents, Securities and Commodities.


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