How to become a trade broker
Official title: Trade brokers
Also called: Commodities broker, Commodity futures dealer, Shipping broker
Trade brokers buy and sell commodities and shipping services, usually in bulk, on behalf of their own company or for customers on a commission basis.
Main tasks
- Establishing contact between buyers and sellers of commodities
- Discussing buying or selling requirements of clients and giving advice accordingly
- Buying and selling cargo space on ships
- Negotiating purchase or sale of commodities and commodity futures
- Finding cargo and/or storage space for commodities and negotiating freight, shipping and storage charges
- Monitoring and analysing market trends and other factors affecting the supply and demand for commodities and shipping services
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: HK$27,000 a month
- About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
- Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
Do you need a degree to become a trade broker?
Not always. 50% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of a trade broker?
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026