[Site name]

Commodity trader

Also called commodity handler, commodities trader, commodities trading manager

Commodity traders use negotiation techniques to sell and buy physical goods and raw materials such as gold, cattle, oil, cotton and wheat on the trading floor. They receive and implement purchasing and selling instructions and negotiate the terms of sale and delivery of commodities. Commodity traders do research about market conditions of specific commodities, their price trends and demand in order to inform their employers, they make bid offers and calculate the cost of transactions.

Will there be jobs?Average prospects25 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Business and administration associate professionalsWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,600 (Bulgaria) to €6,300 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Business and administration associate professionalsWhat do I need to study?Usually post-secondary or a short degree5 in 10 have a degree. 3 in 10 train through vocational routes.Business and administration associate professionalsWill AI change it?ModeratelyLevel 4 of 6. AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.Trade brokers · ILO

What you'd do

Trade brokers · ILO
  • 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
Negotiate sale of commoditiesAnalyse financial riskNegotiate with stakeholdersHandle financial transactionsAnalyse economic trends+ 2 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • Sitting most of the day
  • Constant contact with people, including the public
  • Good freedom to decide
  • Often more than 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents"

Will there be jobs?

Average prospects

A typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as business and administration associate professionals in the EU
13.29m14.1m14.28m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
55,000 new jobs 3,460,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Business and administration associate professionals25
All jobs29
Right now
4 of 27 countries report a shortage of trade brokers, 3 a surplus.
Trade brokers · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,600 a month (Bulgaria) to €6,300 (Denmark), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Usually post-secondary or a short degree

Post-secondary training or a short degree in finance, banking and insurance is the usual route.

Highest qualification of business and administration associate professionals (EU, 2025)
Degree 51%Vocational 31%General secondary 13%Basic schooling 6%
Fields that teach it
Finance, banking and insurance · Wholesale and retail sales
Vocational route, EU
3 in 10 trainees in this field
Business and law graduates in a matching job
66% in the EU

1,314 institutions in the EU offer business and law bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Moderately

AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.44 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 6 tasks
Monitoring and analysing market trends and other factors affecting the supply and demand for commodities and shipping services0.61
Establishing contact between buyers and sellers of commodities0.47
Finding cargo and/or storage space for commodities and negotiating freight, shipping and storage charges0.45
Discussing buying or selling requirements of clients and giving advice accordingly0.41
Buying and selling cargo space on ships0.41
Negotiating purchase or sale of commodities and commodity futures0.31

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for trade brokers. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).