Q1 2026 Insurance Labor Market Study Results Indicate Ongoing Stability
MWN-AI** Summary
The Semi-Annual U.S. Insurance Labor Market Study for Q1 2026, conducted by The Jacobson Group and Aon plc, reveals continued stability within the insurance sector. An impressive 93% of insurance carriers plan to maintain or grow their staff in the next year, indicating a shift toward a more optimistic hiring outlook. Jeffrey Blair of The Jacobson Group highlighted that 43% of carriers intend to maintain staff levels, marking a 15-year peak—up 10 points from January 2025. This trend is complemented by a focus on retention strategies and performance management amidst declining employee turnover.
The report also showed that while 50% of carriers plan to expand their workforce, this figure represents a slight decline from previous findings. Notably, only 7% foresee job cuts, reflecting a commitment to staffing stability. Critical roles in technology, claims, underwriting, and analytics continue to be in high demand, although recruiting challenges persist, especially for actuarial and executive positions.
Revenue growth expectations remain positive, with 72% of companies anticipating increases; however, this is slightly down from earlier projections. The study indicated a trend toward hybrid work arrangements, with 71% of carriers allowing employees to work from home part-time.
If actualized, these hiring plans signal a potential 0.91% increase in employment within the industry over the next 12 months. Conducted semi-annually since 2009, this study offers critical data on the insurance labor market's trajectory, with the next release scheduled for July 2026.
MWN-AI** Analysis
The Q1 2026 Insurance Labor Market Study, conducted by The Jacobson Group and Aon, reveals a resilient insurance labor market poised for stable growth, presenting both opportunities and challenges for stakeholders. With 93% of respondents indicating intentions to maintain or expand staff, this signals a positive trend for the sector. Notably, 43% of carriers expect to keep their staff levels unchanged, marking a peak in retention focus, which underscores the growing importance of employee satisfaction in current hiring strategies.
Despite a slight decrease in the percentage of carriers looking to increase staff — down to 50% this year compared to previous surveys — this growth trajectory, albeit modest, remains significant, particularly when weighed against the industry’s historical employment patterns. The anticipated 0.91% increase in employment indicates that while the market is maturing, it is not contracting.
Key positions in technology, claims, and underwriting continue to dominate the demand landscape. As such, firms should prioritize talent acquisition strategies in these areas, especially as the study highlights persistent challenges in filling actuarial, executive, and analytics roles. A proactive approach to recruitment and retention is crucial, as the decline in employee turnover suggests that teams are more stable, albeit less fluid in turnover.
Moreover, the shift toward hybrid working schedules for 71% of employees reflects a cultural transformation within the industry. Insurers must adapt to these evolving workplace expectations to attract top talent.
Given these insights, companies should position themselves strategically to capitalize on the anticipated growth while concurrently investing in employee engagement initiatives and tailored recruitment strategies to navigate the challenging aspects of the current labor landscape effectively. Staying adaptive and responsive to these trends will be key to sustaining competitive advantage in 2026 and beyond.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
The latest iteration of the Semi-Annual U.S. Insurance Labor Market Study, conducted by The Jacobson Group, the leading provider of talent to the insurance industry, and Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, found 93% of respondents intend to increase or maintain staff size in the next 12 months.
“Overall insurance carrier employment has remained fairly flat throughout the past few years,” said Jeffrey Blair , senior vice president of executive search and business development at The Jacobson Group. “Looking forward, our study found 43% of carriers plan to maintain their staff size in 2026, which is a 15-year peak and 10 points higher than last January. We’re seeing a lot more focus on retention programs and proactive performance management.”
“As employee turnover continues to decline, many companies are not in situations to replace staff as quickly,” added Jeff Rieder, head of performance benchmarking for the Strategy and Technology Group for Aon. “Key roles within claims, underwriting and analytical functions still remain in demand.”
Some of the study’s key findings include the following:
- In the next 12 months, 50% of insurance carriers plan to increase staff, which is 5 points lower than reported in the January 2025 study. Just 7% plan to decrease staff.
- Technology, claims and underwriting roles remain the industry’s greatest need.
- Seventy-two percent of companies expect revenue growth during the next year, down 2 points from January 2025.
- Compared to January 2025, recruiting difficulty has slightly eased in every category. Actuarial, executive and analytics roles remain the most challenging to fill.
- During the next six months, 71% of carriers expect most employees to work a hybrid schedule. Seven percent require employees in the office every day, up from 3% in January 2025 and down from 8% in July 2025.
- If carriers follow through on their plans, the industry will see a 0.91% increase in employment during the next 12 months.
For more highlights and commentary, view the full results summary and recorded webcast .
The insurance labor market study has been conducted semi-annually since 2009. Collecting revenue and hiring projections from carriers across all sectors of the industry, it provides a valuable look at the insurance labor market outlook and hiring trends.
The study’s next iteration will occur in July 2026. To be alerted when it opens, sign up for labor study notifications.
About The Jacobson Group:
The Jacobson Group is the leading provider of talent to the insurance industry. For more than 50 years, Jacobson has been connecting insurance organizations with professionals at all levels across all industry verticals. Jacobson provides insurance talent solutions to support virtually any human capital need. We offer executive search services and comprehensive staffing solutions, including professional recruiting , temporary staffing and interim experts .
Follow The Jacobson Group on LinkedIn , X , Facebook and Instagram .
About Aon:
Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Through actionable analytic insight, globally integrated Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, and locally relevant solutions, our colleagues provide clients in over 120 countries with the clarity and confidence to make better risk and people decisions that help protect and grow their businesses.
Follow Aon on LinkedIn , X , Facebook and Instagram . Stay up-to-date by visiting Aon’s newsroom and sign up for news alerts here .
Aon UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for the provision of regulated products and services in the UK. Registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 00210725. Registered Office: The Aon Centre, The Leadenhall Building, 122 Leadenhall Street, London EC3V 4AN. Tel: 020 7623 5500. Aon is not responsible for the content of the third party website.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303866010/en/
The Jacobson Group
Whitney Stephens
wstephens@jacobsongroup.com
Aon plc
Andrew Wragg
+44 (0) 7595 217168
andrew.wragg@aon.com
FAQ**
How does Aon plc Class A (Ireland) AON plan to address the challenges in filling actuarial and analytics roles as highlighted in the Semi-Annual U.S. Insurance Labor Market Study?
Given that 7of companies expect revenue growth, what strategies does Aon plc Class A (Ireland) AON recommend for carriers to leverage this growth while maintaining staff levels?
How might the insights from the Semi-Annual U.S. Insurance Labor Market Study influence Aon plc Class A (Ireland) AON's talent acquisition strategy over the next 12 months?
In light of the reported increase in hybrid work schedules, how is Aon plc Class A (Ireland) AON adapting its workforce management strategies to align with the evolving preferences of employees in the insurance sector?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about Aon plc Class A (Ireland) (NYSE: AON).
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