Despite lingering questions about how the efficiencies wrought by AI and automation could impact insurance recruitment and hiring, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a slight increase (3%) in financial-services services workers by 2034.
But this optimistic projection pales in comparison to longstanding anxiety regarding the insurance-industry talent gap, or the pending retirement of thousands of experienced professionals and the concurrent lack of talent to fill or redefine those roles. Results from the 2025 Independent Insurance Agent Survey conducted by Propertycasualty360 in partnership with the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents reflect this hiring anxiety, with the majority of respondents (81%) reporting they are somewhat or very concerned about insurance-workforce challenges.
Christopher Orr says the current insurance staffing landscape is complex and multidimentional.
“Even where some [insurance] roles are showing longer-term employment declines, the industry still is facing meaningful annual openings, especially in claims and underwriting,” says Orr, a partner in the global and North American insurance practice at the management consulting firm Korn Ferry.
Sure, AI is “the big story” in talent acquisition in 2026, according to Korn Ferry forecasts, but it’s not the only story as emerging technologies require significant organizational leadership as well as people who can manage and monitor that tech. So many insurance roles are being reshaped, Orr said, not replaced.
The slideshow above illustrates how several other insurance leaders view insurance hiring and recruitment trends in 2026.
Generally speaking, insurance leaders recognize there are talent challenges to overcome, but they also appear poised for the personnel transformation that will characterize insurance in the year (or years) to come.
“The biggest mistake leaders make is trying to solve a structural problem by simply hiring more people,” says Intradiem co-CEO Jennifer Lee. “A more innovative approach is to fix the work itself first… Flexibility, manageable workloads, and visible investment in employee growth are no longer options but necessities. In an industry built on managing risk, the real risk in 2026 is burning out the talent you already have.”
The talent acquisition and retention strategy at Applied Systems involves clearly defining the employer value proposition (EVP), or the tangible and intangible benefits of working there. “We look at internal communications and many people-impacting decisions through an EVP lens to ensure we’re reinforcing the things that make Applied a place where people want to stay and grow,” says Chief People Officer Bridget Penney.
At Gallagher Bassett, fostering a healthy talent pipeline meant reimagining its training programs and “creating specific curriculum pathways rooted in providing program graduates with deep technical foundation in insurance, risk management, and claims management while further layering this foundation with extensive soft skill development,” says Executive Vice President Irina Simpson. One key is to emphasize that insurance work is about people.
“Insurance and risk management, and even more so claims management, is all about superior talent feeling empowered through reduced administrative tasks, better digital tools, and enhanced insights to perform work that allows for critical thinking, meaningful human connection, and purposeful contribution,” Simpson says. “When we start with people and create an approach that prioritizes the needs of our claims professionals by listening and responding to their needs through many technological tools available to us, we create an organization that offers purpose and provides our teams with an opportunity to do their best work.”
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