The Intermediary – December 2025 - Flipbook - Page 80
B RO K E R B U S I N E S S
Opinion
Unemployment rise
highlights a bigger
opportunity
T
he latest figures
released by the Office
for National Statistics
(ONS) mark the highest
unemployment level
in four years. Behind
those numbers are thousands of people
whose careers have been unexpectedly
interrupted.
It is a challenging moment for
many, but it also raises a broader
question for sectors that rely heavily
on skilled people.
Talent pool
At a time when we are experiencing
an adviser shortage that has been
building for years, the UK has an
untapped pool of talent now looking
for stable and meaningful work.
Our profession has long talked
about the need to widen entry routes.
The average age of advisers continues
to rise, and there is currently no
sustainable pipeline.
Many firms understandably prefer
to recruit advisers who already hold
CeMAP, have experience, or can step
into the role with lile development.
That approach has limitations. It
concentrates talent within a small
circle of existing professionals, and
fails to recognise that the core skills
needed to provide excellent advice are
not exclusive to financial services.
They can be found across retail,
hospitality, education, logistics, public
services and countless others.
If the market is going to meet
the long-term needs of borrowers,
especially as customer expectations
evolve, advice becomes more complex
and artificial intelligence (AI) presents
an ever greater threat, we need a much
broader entry point.
Rising unemployment has created
a moment where people with strong
communication skills, discipline,
78
The Intermediary | December 2025
JOHN PHILLIPS
is CEO at Just Mortgages
and Spicerhaart
empathy and resilience are actively
looking for a new direction. The
industry must not close the door.
Time to learn
This was the thinking behind
Just Learning. We introduced the
programme to cater for those outside
our usual academy intakes, who have
the aptitude for a career in advice, but
not necessarily the qualifications.
The aim is to provide talented
recruits with the structure and
support needed to achieve the CeMAP
qualification and prepare them for the
realities of the adviser role.
Crucially, it gives them a clear
line of sight to employment by
guaranteeing an interview with
us once they have secured their
qualification. This is not about fasttracking people into roles they are
not ready for. It is about building a
responsible, credible and sustainable
route into the profession for those
who would otherwise never have the
chance. The quality of advice maers
more than ever and any new entrant
pathway must reflect that.
What we have found, though, is
that people who have never considered
a career in mortgages oen bring
exactly the type of strengths that
customers respond well to.
Many have spent years in roles
where listening, case management,
handling sensitive situations and
building trust were essential. Those
qualities are all transferrable, and
invaluable in an adviser.
Structured solutions
There is also a wider point to consider
here. If the industry does not invest
in new talent now, we risk finding
ourselves with an even more acute
shortage in the next decade. Mortgage
products are becoming more complex,
regulation continues to evolve
and consumers increasingly value
guidance that is personal rather than
transactional. This will require a
healthy and diverse workforce.
The current economic conditions,
though difficult, create an opportunity
to bring new people into the sector at a
time when they are actively searching
for new opportunities.
By creating structured routes into
advice, the mortgage industry can
play a meaningful role in helping
people back into employment and
finding a new and fulfilling career in
advice – all while strengthening its
own foundations. It is not enough to
acknowledge the adviser shortage; we
need to take practical steps to address
it. If we fail to do so, the effects will be
felt across the entire market.
The conversation now should be
about how the wider industry can
replicate or adapt these pathways.
This is not something one firm
can solve in isolation. Training,
development and early-stage support
require resource commitment, but the
long-term benefits far outweigh the
cost. For the many people currently
searching for work, a rewarding
career in mortgage advice is within
reach if we make the route clear.
We can’t control the broader
economic cycle, but we can choose
how we respond to it. By opening
the profession, we can support those
who have been knocked back by
redundancy while also strengthening
the future of the advice sector. If the
industry gets this right, the rise in
unemployment could turn out to be a
catalyst for building the workforce we
will rely on for years to come. ●
