Changes to the way life insurance is sold are a concern for advisers, a new remuneration survey has found.

“While it is not a major issue, it is something they talk about among colleagues,” Peter Dawson from executive recruitment company The Dawson Partnership told insuranceNEWS.com.au. “They see it as a problem.”

The Dawson Partnership questioned about 500 institutional and privately owned financial advice businesses.

About 25% of employers say they will increase advisers’ remuneration this year, compared with 23% in last year’s survey.

Of those, 56% say raises are targeted at staff meeting key performance indicators, and 31% say they are part of employee-retention programs. More than half will increase adviser remuneration by 4-6%. Only 4% will exceed a 6% rise.

About 63% of advice businesses will freeze remuneration packages at last year’s levels, down 3% compared with last year.

Some 28% of those will consider paying more to advisers if they think improved business conditions are sustainable. About 31% are experiencing growth but taking a cautious approach to expenditure.

Some 62% of all respondents believe recruitment activity for high-performance employees has continued its momentum from last year.

“They were aware their best employees were being approached by competitors either directly or by recruiters,” Mr Dawson said.

“The survey found 56% of employers said salaried financial advisers with high-level technical knowledge and strong communication skills were in particular demand, with recruitment activity also picking up for paraplanners and support staff.”