In good news for the insurance industry, the latest U.S. LaborDepartment's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data for June 2015shows that, on a year-over-year basis, virtually every subsector ofinsurance industry employment was up, with many subsectors risingsolidly.

Property and casualty (P&C) carrier employment rose by 3,400(+0.6%) jobs in June 2015 versus May 2015, says Dr. Robert P.Hartwig, CPCU, president of the Insurance Information Institute.The direction of June-over-May employment change for the P&Cindustry is often up (since 1990, P&C carrier employment hasrisen 17 times and fallen nine times) but this is the largestmonth-over-month rise since March 1998. For the 12 months ending inJune 2015, P&C carrier employment rose by 6,500 positions, or1.2% to 527,900. According to Hartwig, P&C carrier employmenthas generally been rising for the last 18 months and is now back towhere it was in the late summer of 2012.

The agent/broker segment gained 21,800 jobs in June 2015 versusJune 2014 (up 3.1%) to 734,000. After losing jobs in the GreatRecession—from 682,100 in the first month of the recession(December 2007) to 652,900 in the first month of recovery (July2009) and on to a trough of 638,200 in September 2010—the segmenthas been fairly steadily gaining jobs and passed the pre-recessionpeak of 684,500 reached in July 2007, Hartwig notes. From therecent trough through June 2015, this segment has gained 95,800jobs (up 15.0%).

Employment by life/annuity carriers rose in June 2015 versusJune 2014 (up 16,500, or 4.8%) to 361,900. This is the largestyear-over-year percentage growth in life/annuity carrier employmentin five years (since March 2010). Life/annuity carrier employmentstayed in a range of 340,000 (plus or minus 2,000) jobs for all of2013 and half of 2014, but it moved up in June 2014. Hartwigobserves that life/annuity carrier employment has not fallen for 14consecutive months (and rose in 13 of those months). “We can saythat the long downward trend is over, although the gains are stillsmall in historical context.”

The health carrier segment has been gaining jobs quite steadilyfor decades. In June 2015 versus June 2014 it rose sharply (up26,100, or 5.3%) to 517,100 positions. At least some of this growthis undoubtedly connected with the flood of health insuranceapplications, purchases and claims attributable to the AffordableCare Act (ACA), and some to population growth, Hartwig says, butit's important to acknowledge that this rate of growth has beencharacteristic of this sector for decades—long before the ACA wasproposed.

Among the smaller industry segments, Hartwig says, reinsurancecarrier employment in the U.S. rose in June 2015 versus June 2014(up 500 jobs, or +2.0%). Employment at independent claims-adjustingfirms on a year-over-year basis for June 2015 fell by 3,500 to50,800 positions. Year-over-year jobs in the category ofthird-party administration of insurance funds rose by 9,100 (+5.3%)to 179,900. This category has grown quite steadily for over twodecades, Hartwig explains, though not as fast as employment atmedical expense insurers. It was set back slightly by the GreatRecession but has generally added jobs since then, he says.