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 insurance industry is in a unique labor market, continuing to face a talent shortage, while talk of a looming economic recession continues. In today’s evolving and uncertain economy, temporary talent – whether it’s project-based teams or interim expertise – is often necessary to effectively meet business demands and accommodate shifting needs. If you’re revisiting projects that were shelved during COVID, striving to remain flexible and not committing to additional full-time staff, or simply aiming to take advantage of new opportunities, contract workers are often an efficient and cost-effective solution. 

As the candidate’s market continues, insurers are adapting their talent plans to best meet the needs of their employees and customers. A low unemployment rate and high number of open insurance roles have given candidates the upper hand in terms of recruitment, with job seekers often receiving strong offers from multiple companies. As organizations recalibrate their total rewards packages to accommodate shifting employee expectations around flexibility, work environments and compensation, contingent labor programs are also being impacted. Here are a few areas to consider as you optimize your contingent labor plans for the current environment.

The use of contingent labor continues to increase, especially in today’s complex and continually changing business environment. Staffing Industry Analysts predicts staffing industry growth of 16% in 2021. Additionally, our recent Q3 2021 Insurance Labor Market Study found 96% of insurance carrier respondents plan to maintain or increase their use of interim employees in the next year – marking the study’s all-time high.

In order to remain agile in today’s evolving insurance landscape, many organizations are increasing their use of contingent workers, leveraging interim talent on an as-needed basis. In fact, a recent McKinsey study found 70% of executives plan to employ more onsite contract workers in the next two years. Research from Gartner further supports this growth, sharing that employers plan to increase their use of interim employees following the pandemic, both as a cost-saving measure and to maintain flexibility.