Job satisfaction remains high in the latest FBAA poll, but more than half of brokers admit they have thought about quitting at least once.
While the vast majority of brokers are satisfied with their jobs at the moment, more than half have considered leaving the industry at some point, according to a new survey from the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA).
Conducted by research firm CoreData, the FBAA’s latest Bi-Monthly Broker Poll sought the opinions of 100 brokers, with research conducted from 23–29 July 2025.
The majority (71 per cent) of brokers who responded to the poll said they were ‘satisfied’ with their roles and ‘extremely likely’ to still be broking in five years.
But more than half (54 per cent) also admitted they had considered leaving the industry at least once in their career, citing factors such as lender practices and policies that negatively affect brokers, work-related stress, and financial strain.
Of these, 7 per cent said they were currently thinking about leaving the industry, 13 per cent said they had thought about leaving in the past, and 34 per cent said they occasionally thought about leaving.
Aggressive lender practices (39 per cent) were the most commonly cited reason for considering leaving the industry, followed by job-related stress (28 per cent) and financial pressures (19 per cent).
Almost half (49 per cent) of respondents said better pay and rewards influenced their decision to stay in the industry, followed by lighter workloads or reduced administrative burdens (40 per cent) and a better work/life balance with more flexible working conditions (36 per cent).
FBAA managing director Peter White AM said he was pleased that most brokers indicated they were satisfied, but noted that the negative feedback was perhaps unsurprising given the impact of “aggressive lender practices”.
“This feedback demonstrates the impact these issues have on brokers and their willingness to stay in the industry, and is the reason why the FBAA has been so vocal and continues to advocate for change,” White said.
“It’s a long journey but we have started to see breakthroughs that some never thought we would see, which encourages us to continue the fight against practices that are unfair.
“Our message to members is to talk to us about how they can improve and succeed, as we exist to help brokers thrive in all aspects of their business and CPD.”
Next generation
Another theme that came out in the research was the need to attract new brokers to the industry, with one in 10 (10 per cent) indicating they aimed to retire in the next five years.
In the longer term, around a quarter of those surveyed (24 per cent) said they wished to retire within the next decade.
Two in five (43 per cent) of the brokers who owned their own business said they planned to sell up in retirement, while a quarter (24 per cent) said they would transition to a more passive advisory role in the business.
Meanwhile, interest in finance (53 per cent) was the top factor that attracted brokers to the industry, followed by desire to be self-employed (46 per cent) and income potential (27 per cent).
[Related: Brokers expect refinancing activity to surge]
