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Insurance Agents

ANZSCO ID 6112

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Overview

Snapshot

Employed
13,400
Future Growth
8.9%
Weekly Earnings
$1,600
Full-Time Share
81%
Female Share
53%
Average age
37
About this data

Summary

Insurance Agents represent insurance companies in selling insurance to clients.

Specialisations: Insurance Underwriter, Life Assurance Representative.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as an Insurance Agent. Although some workers have a certificate III, IV or diploma in general insurance or personal injury management or a university degree in related areas such as business, management and commerce.

Tasks

  • interviewing clients to identify their insurance needs

  • explaining to clients details of insurance and conditions, risk coverage, premiums and benefits

  • assisting clients to determine the type and level of coverage required

  • calculating premiums and establishing method of payment

  • reviewing clients' circumstances to ensure that the level and coverage of insurance is still appropriate

  • settling and monitoring insurance claims to ensure that both client and insurer are satisfied with the outcome

  • recording information about clients and their policies

  • identifying and drawing up lists of potential clients from a variety of sources and contacting them to arrange interviews

  • keeping up-to-date with changes in the insurance industry and informing clients of new developments

Characteristics

Job Type
Sales Workers
Skill Level
Medium skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
6112 Insurance Agents This occupation is Current selected
Unemployment Rate
Below average
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. The latest data are for the five years from November 2021 to November 2026. Over this period, the number of workers:

  • is expected to grow strongly
  • is likely to reach 15,800 by 2026.

    • Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

    Notes: The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.

    Employment projections figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Calculations based on these rounded figures may result in differences to the numbers that are displayed on this page. Employment projections data (including occupations) can be downloaded from the Employment Projections page.

Projected Change
8.9%
(or 1,300 jobs)
From
14,600
in 2021
To
15,800
in 2026

Number of Workers

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.
Year Employment
2011 9,600
2012 12,100
2013 13,400
2014 13,100
2015 11,000
2016 8,100
2017 12,800
2018 7,600
2019 11,800
2020 13,300
2021 14,600
2026 15,800

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 81% of people employed as Insurance Agents work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 15 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 41 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,600 per week, this is similar to the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,178
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $2,101

    Median hourly earnings are $42, this is similar to the all jobs median ($41 per hour).

    Sources: Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average. Full-time median earnings and median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021. Compared to all jobs median.

Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Earnings Insurance Agents All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,600 1,593
Total Earnings 0 0

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.

Industries

Main industries

1
Financial and Insurance Services
95.2%
2
Retail Trade
1.4%
3
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
1.4%
4
Health Care and Social Assistance
1.4%
5
Other industries
1.4%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

34.4% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

27.5% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

21.2% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.1% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

9.0% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.0% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

0.4% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Insurance Agents All Jobs Average
NSW 34.4 31.6
VIC 27.5 25.6
QLD 21.2 20.0
SA 6.1 7.0
WA 9.0 10.8
TAS 1.0 2.0
NT 0.5 1.0
ACT 0.4 1.9


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
37
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
53%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Insurance Agents is 37 years. This is similar to the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 53% of the workforce. This is 5 percentage points above 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 Insurance Agents All Jobs Average
15-19 0.5 5.0
20-24 8.2 9.3
25-34 33.4 22.9
35-44 26.8 22.0
45-54 18.2 21.6
55-59 6.3 9.0
60-64 3.9 6.0
65 and Over 2.7 4.2
Median Age 37 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

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as an Insurance Agent. Although some workers have a certificate III, IV or diploma in general insurance or personal injury management or a university degree in related areas such as business, management and commerce.

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 Insurance Agents All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 6.7 10.1
Bachelor degree 21.8 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 21.8 11.6
Certificate III/IV 13.9 21.1
Year 12 25.3 18.1
Year 11 4.0 4.8
Year 10 and below 6.4 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 Insurance Agents who are well presented, can communicate with a diverse range of people and provide good customer service.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 57%

    Active listening

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

  • 55%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 54%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 52%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 52%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 50%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 50%

    Active learning

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

  • 50%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 50%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 48%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 48%

    Monitoring

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

  • 46%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 45%

    Time management

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

  • 45%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 43%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 41%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 37%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 36%

    Learning strategies

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

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 82%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 72%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 65%

    Clerical

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

  • 56%

    English language

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

  • 53%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 53%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 51%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 50%

    Administration and management

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

  • 41%

    Law and government

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

  • 37%

    Education and training

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

  • 36%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 32%

    Communications and media

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

  • 28%

    Psychology

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

  • 26%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 21%

    Production and processing

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

  • 17%

    Geography

    Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.

  • 17%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 14%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 12%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

  • 11%

    Building and construction

    Materials, and methods used to construct or repair houses, buildings, or other structures like highways and roads.

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 59%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 59%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 59%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 55%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 54%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 54%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 52%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 50%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 50%

    Near vision

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

  • 50%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 48%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 45%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 39%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 39%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 39%

    Mathematics

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

  • 39%

    Originality

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

  • 39%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 37%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 37%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 32%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

Activities

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

  • 79%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 76%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 73%

    Influencing people

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

  • 73%

    Working with the public

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

  • 67%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 67%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 66%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 65%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 64%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 63%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 62%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 54%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 53%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 53%

    Coming up with systems and processes

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

  • 52%

    Scheduling work and activities

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

  • 52%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 51%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 38%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 36%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 35%

    Working with computers

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

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.

  • 76%

    Administrative

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

  • 52%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 33%

    Practical

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

  • 24%

    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.

Values

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

  • 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%

    Achievement

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

  • 67%

    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.

  • 55%

    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.

  • 52%

    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:

  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 98%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 96%

    Contact with people

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

  • 94%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 94%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 93%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 92%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 89%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 86%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 86%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 86%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 85%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 82%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 81%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 79%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 71%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 67%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

    Work in a closed vehicle (e.g., car).

  • 62%

    Automation of tasks

    Do tasks that are mostly automated.

  • 62%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 61%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

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, 41-3021.00 - Insurance Sales Agents.

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