The insurance labor market continued its steady growth in February with unemployment falling almost a full point to 1.4% for insurance carriers and related activities. Revised numbers for January also show the industry hit record-high employment at 2,922,000 jobs.

The insurance labor market remains strong as realignment persists. Although the industry saw a slight decrease in jobs from December to January, revised numbers* from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show 2022 average monthly employment for the insurance carriers and related activities sector was 2.9 million – 74,350 more positions than previously reported. This annual BLS adjustment also slightly impacted wages, yet general trends remain similar.

Despite a sense of economic uncertainty, the insurance labor market does not seem to be cooling in the new year. The industry ended 2022 with roughly 40,000 more jobs than the start of the year and 10 consecutive months of wage increases. Voluntary quits and job openings within finance and insurance had slight dips in November*, but remain high. 

Organizations are continuing to navigate new challenges and enter uncharted territory as we move toward 2023. To help leaders gain a better understanding of the current talent marketplace, we’ve polled our LinkedIn audience on a number of timely talent topics. Below is a compilation of the results and a snapshot into the industry’s take on a variety of issues.

The insurance industry is closing out 2022 with low industry unemployment and a high level of open finance and insurance positions. Despite ongoing economic uncertainty and a pending recession, insurance remains a candidate’s market as we enter the new year.