What does financial-services hiring look like right now?

The centre of gravity in financial-services recruitment is moving up the skills ladder. Government analysis of the sector found that recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles, rather than the RQF 3 to 5 band the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report (2026). In plain terms, that means demand is concentrated in degree-level and professional roles, not the more routine entry-level jobs.

For brokers running SME books, that pattern rings true. As e-trade platforms take on the repetitive quoting and placement work for smaller, standardised risks, the roles brokers most need to fill are the ones the software cannot do: judgement, relationships and technical oversight.

Which broker roles are e-trade platforms changing?

E-trade platforms let brokers quote, bind and renew high-volume, low-complexity SME risks through an insurer's portal, with little manual handling. That automates a big chunk of the traditional processing job. The work that remains, and grows, sits above the platform.

• Advisers who handle the risks that fall outside an e-trade appetite, where a human still negotiates terms.
• Broking and technical specialists who manage schemes, wordings and complex placements the platform will not touch.
• Client-facing account handlers who own the relationship, cross-sell and retention across a book.
• Data, operations and platform roles that keep the e-trade panels, rules and integrations running.

This mirrors the wider shift towards higher-qualified roles that government data describes for financial services the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report (2026). The platform absorbs the volume; people take on the value.

How do you hire well for a modern SME book?

Start with the work, not the job title. Map which parts of your SME book now run through e-trade and which still need a person, then write the role around what is left. If demand is genuinely for higher-skilled, advisory work, as the sector data suggests the GOV.UK report indicates, your brief should reflect that.

• Hire for judgement and client skills, not just processing speed, since the routine work is increasingly automated.
• Be clear about which regulated activities the role covers and the qualifications you expect.
• Look for people comfortable working alongside platforms and data, not against them.
• Move quickly on strong applicants, because higher-skilled candidates rarely stay on the market long.

Speed matters most when the talent pool is tight. A slow process loses the exact people you most want to keep.

Where do we fit in?

That is where Reed.ai comes in. We search a database of 15 million candidates to find the right people for your SME broking team, and we manage recruitment end to end, from shortlist to booked interview. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. Tell us about your next broking role today, and we will get to work.

Sources

• GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report