According to the latest iteration of the Semi-Annual U.S. Insurance Labor Market Study conducted by The Jacobson Group and Ward Group, a part of Aon Hewitt, a business unit of Aon plc (NYSE: AON), 65 percent of companies polled intend to increase staff in 2017. In addition, the unemployment rate for insurance is significantly lower than the national average.

“Expected increases in business volume and expansion into new markets are driving continued hiring,” says Gregory P. Jacobson, co-chief executive officer of Jacobson.

Some additional key findings include the following:

• If the industry follows through on its plans, we will see a 1.56 percent increase in industry employment during the next 12 months, creating new jobs.
• Eleven percent of organizations expect to increase their use of temporary employees in 2017, the highest anticipated increase in temporary staff usage since the January 2014 survey.

For more highlights, download the full insurance labor market study results summary. For commentary, view the recorded webcast.

The Insurance Labor Market Study has been conducted semi-annually since July 2009. Collecting revenue and hiring projections from organizations across all sectors of the industry, the survey provides a valuable look at the labor market outlook and hiring trends.

The study’s next iteration will occur in July 2017. For more details, contact Vince Albers of Ward Group at vincent.albers@wardinc.com.

About The Jacobson Group:

The Jacobson Group is the leading global provider of insurance talent. For more than 45 years, we have been connecting insurance organizations with professionals from the board room to the back room on both a permanent and temporary basis. We offer a variety of solutions including executive search, professional recruiting, emerging talent, RPO, temporary staffing, subject matter experts, and onsite and work-at-home operations support. Regardless of the need or situation, Jacobson is the insurance talent solution. Further information is available at jacobsononline.com.

About Ward Group®:

Ward Group is the recognized leader of benchmarking and best practices studies for insurance companies. The firm analyzes staff levels, compensation, business practices and expenses for all areas of company operations and helps insurers measure results, optimize performance and improve profitability. For more information about Ward Group, visit www.wardinc.com.

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