Commodity Trader
Snapshot
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.
Commodity traders play a vital role in ensuring the efficient flow of raw materials and goods worldwide. Your days will involve researching market conditions, analyzing price fluctuations, and negotiating deals to buy and sell commodities on behalf of your employer. This requires a sharp understanding of supply and demand, strong negotiation skills, and the ability to react quickly to changing market dynamics.
- • Researching market conditions, price trends, and demand for specific commodities.
- • Negotiating the terms of sale and delivery of commodities with suppliers and buyers.
- • Implementing purchasing and selling instructions received from your employer.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Business and administration associate professionals — 200 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Romania.
Longest-running shortage: Belgium, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $78,660 2025-05 | +3.3% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +26.5% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | +9.2% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
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Future Outlook for commodity trader
The outlook for commodity trader reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could commodity trader change as AI adoption grows?
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- negotiate with stakeholders
- negotiate sale of commodities
- handle financial transactions
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- perform financial risk management in international trade
- analyse economic trends
- analyse financial risk
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Financial Services
A typical day as a commodity trader
09 09:00 · Morning handle financial transactions
10 10:30 · Mid-morning negotiate sale of commodities
12 12:00 · Midday analyse economic trends
14 14:00 · Afternoon analyse financial risk
15 15:30 · Late afternoon analyse market financial trends
17 17:00 · Wrap-up negotiate with stakeholders
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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perform financial risk management in international trade
Evaluate and manage the possibility of financial loss and non-payment following international transactions, in the context of foreign exchange market. Apply instruments like letters of credit.
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analyse financial risk
Identify and analyse risks that could impact an organisation or individual financially, such as credit and market risks, and propose solutions to cover against those risks.
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negotiate with stakeholders
Negotiate compromises with stakeholders and strive to reach the most beneficial agreements for the company. May involve building relationships with suppliers and customers, as well as ensuring products are profitable.
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negotiate sale of commodities
Discuss client's requirements for buying and selling commodities and negotiate their sale and purchase in order to obtain the most beneficial agreement.
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analyse market financial trends
Monitor and forecast the tendencies of a financial market to move in a particular direction over time.
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analyse economic trends
Analyse developments in national or international trade, business relations, banking, and developments in public finance and how these factors interact with one another in a given economic context.
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handle financial transactions
Administer currencies, financial exchange activities, deposits as well as company and voucher payments. Prepare and manage guest accounts and take payments by cash, credit card and debit card.
commercial law
The legal regulations that govern a specific commercial activity.
trading software
The finance and trading integrated software solutions.
actuarial science
The rules of applying mathematical and statistical techniques to determine potential or existing risks in various industries, such as finance or insurance.
international commercial transactions rules
Pre-defined commercial terms used in international commercial transactions which stipulate clear tasks, costs and risks associated with the delivery of goods and services.
- economics
- financial jurisdiction
- financial markets
- international trade
- banking activities
- financial forecasting
- financial products
- international business
Path to become a commodity trader
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Short-cycle tertiary education
769 programmes in 23 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 123 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Honours Bachelor of Arts in Economics (International)
University College Cork · Ireland
These are 6 of 892.
Sources
- 1. Source: Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Education), CRICOS, data.gov.au, CC BY 2.5 AU. Data as at 01/09/2026. Adapted by NexPath.
- 2. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 3. Source: Study in Korea, National Institute for International Education (NIIED) (studyinkorea.go.kr).
- 4. Source: South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), All Qualifications and Unit Standards (allqs.saqa.org.za).
- 5. Source: YÖK Atlas, Council of Higher Education (yokatlas.yok.gov.tr).
- 6. Source: Malta Qualifications Registry, Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (qualifications.mfhea.gov.mt).
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does commodity trader fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of commodities do commodity traders typically deal with?
What skills are most important for success as a commodity trader?
Is this a career that requires a lot of interaction with others?
Is there a shortage of Commodity Trader in Europe?
How much does Commodity Trader pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data