Unemployment continues to drop within the insurance industry, hitting 1.7% in March. At the same time, job openings are rising within the larger finance and insurance sector, with an average of 428,000 openings in January and February*. This is tracking above 2022’s record annual high of 393,000. Voluntary quits are also slightly increasing, hitting their highest level since January 2023, while hiring levels remain relatively consistent.

Amid a shallowing pool of emerging talent and a workforce nearing retirement age, finding qualified individuals to fill open accounting and finance roles has been an intensifying challenge for insurers. Roughly 340,000 accountants and auditors in the United States have left their jobs in the past five years, which equates to a decline of 17%. Perhaps not surprisingly, our Q1 2024 Insurance Labor Market Study saw recruiting difficulty for accounting positions reach its highest level in the study’s 15-year history.

The current hiring environment requires swift action to secure top talent. Companies are streamlining their recruiting processes and expediting offers to ensure they don’t miss out on the right candidates. This accelerated timeline places added pressure on hiring managers and recruiters to conduct thorough interviews that accurately gauge a candidate’s fit in just a few interactions. In this edition of Recruiter Report, we’re answering the question, What are the most valuable questions to ask during an interview?

We’re closing out the first quarter of 2024 on a positive note. Unemployment for the insurance carriers and related activities sector slightly dropped to 2% and industry employment continues to grow – reaching a new record high in February. Job openings for the larger finance and insurance industry are the highest they’ve been since September 2023, which hit a record of 509,000 open roles, according to revised numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As workforce dynamics evolve, professionals’ priorities and expectations have also undergone shifts. Throughout the past few months, we’ve polled our LinkedIn audience on a number of talent topics, including their sentiments around exploring new roles, work flexibility and more. Consider the below information as you build out your own recruiting strategies in today’s landscape.