NU Online News Service, Dec. 7, 12:16 p.m. EST

Property and casualty carrier employment decreased by 0.2percent in October compared to September, dropping to the lowestemployment level in the last 20 years, according to an InsuranceInformation Institute (I.I.I.) analysis of Bureau of LaborStatistics (BLS) data.

Carrier employment dropped by 700 in October compared toSeptember, to a total of 461,500, I.I.I. said. Carrier employmentwas down by 2.5 percent compared to October 2009.

In written comments accompanying I.I.I.'s analysis, RobertHartwig, I.I.I. president, said that, in some respects, the p&ccarrier employment numbers "are to be expected, given themulti-year slide in [net written premiums], and the pressure toreduce expenses to offset the loss of investment income from thelow levels of prevailing interest rates."

Since the end of 2006, Mr. Hartwig said, p&c premiums havedropped by about 7 percent, while p&c employment is down about5.75 percent.

The October employment news was not all negative, however. Forinsurance agents and brokers, employment was up by 0.7 percent, or4,200 employees, in October compared to September.

Claims adjusters, too, saw an employment increase of 0.7percent, or 300 employees, during the month.

Reinsurers saw no change in employment from September toOctober.

Compared to October 2009, employment was down by 1.8 percent foragents and brokers, down by 8.2 percent for claims adjusters, andup by 0.4 percent for reinsurers.