The 2012 edition of the National Council on Compensation Insurances (NCCI) annual State of the Line report, evaluating Workers Compensation fundamentals and conditions, reveals a market characterized by a number of countervailing indicators as to its forward trajectory.

Analysis from the National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. shows that conditions in the workers compensation industry continue to deteriorate. The line continues to experience an ever-lengthening list of challenges, including poor underwriting results, declining (albeit more slowly) premiums, an uptick in claim frequency and an uncertain regulatory and inflationary...

As any casual observer of the news knows, the incidence of obesity in the U.S. is growing dramatically. And intuitively, the implications of this trend for workers compensation are disturbing.

Early signs for this years workers compensation market show that it is struggling against some significant headwinds. Two forces, in particular, continue to buffet the industry: A troubled job market and regulatory uncertainty.

At NCCI's Annual Issues Symposium this past May, we had the unhappy duty to tell some 700 industry executives and managers that, in our view, the workers' compensation market was in a precarious position.

In this time of tremendous distress for the financial services sector, the workers' compensation industry continues to function quite well, with active competition for business and a shrinking residual market.

Where does the prospect of increasing health care costs, a faltering economy, a challenging investment environment and a rapidly changing political environment leave decision-makers in the workers'

The National Council on Compensation Insurance has an optimistic, yet cautious outlook for the workers' comp market in the coming year, based on the industry's recent positive indicators--including a