It's a cautious market, and that changes how insurers compete for claims talent. Vacancies are still easing: early estimates for May to July 2026 point to a fall of 6,000 (0.8%) to 707,000 across the UK ONS - Vacancies and jobs in the UK, August 2026. That follows a similar dip the quarter before, when vacancies dropped by 7,000 (0.9%) to 712,000 ONS - Vacancies and jobs in the UK.
The wider picture is what the Low Pay Commission describes as a 'low hire, low fire' labour market: weaker recruitment, only slight rises in redundancies, and vacancies below pre-pandemic levels Low Pay Commission Report 2025, GOV.UK. With around 2.5 unemployed people per vacancy, holding steady since mid-2025 ONS - Vacancies and jobs in the UK, insurers have a bigger pool to draw from, but the specific claims skills they need are still hard to find.
Two forces are reshaping claims teams: automation of routine work, and demand for the specialist skills that sit around it. Businesses took a cautious approach to hiring through 2025, but there were clear demand hotspots for specialist tech skills including AI, data, enterprise applications and cyber security Computer Weekly (tech recruitment outlook 2026). Those skills now run right through modern claims functions, from fraud detection to case triage.
At the same time, entry routes into insurance are under pressure. Adzuna has recorded a 30% drop in UK entry-level job postings since ChatGPT launched, with graduates facing the toughest market since 2018 techUK – What's actually happening with entry-level and graduate jobs?. If insurers pull back from junior claims hiring, they narrow the pipeline that later becomes their experienced adjusters and team leaders.
There's a more hopeful signal too. Apprenticeships have grown from 3% of AI hires in 2020 to 19% in 2025 GOV.UK / DSIT – AI Labour Market Survey 2025 report, which shows employers are building talent through training rather than only buying it in. Claims teams can borrow that playbook.
Widening the net means looking past the usual sources. Skills England names digital and engineering occupations among its priority areas, many already seeing high recruitment demand and expected to keep growing GOV.UK - Skills England annual skills report 2026. Claims leaders competing for data and digital skills should expect to hire from adjacent sectors, not just from other insurers.
Apprenticeships and career-changer routes are the clearest opening. When entry-level postings are falling, employers who keep training junior claims handlers protect their future pipeline and reach people other firms overlook. The apprenticeship growth in AI roles GOV.UK / DSIT – AI Labour Market Survey 2025 report is a model claims functions can copy for triage, negotiation and customer-facing work.
Geography matters too. Vacancy movements vary by sector and region, with professional, scientific and technical activities recording the largest single volume increase in vacancies in one recent quarter ONS – Vacancies and jobs in the UK: November 2025. Insurers who broaden their search radius, offer hybrid working and hire on demonstrable ability tend to find claims people faster than those fishing in one local pool.
Start with skills, not job titles. Define the outcome a claims role delivers, whether that's accurate settlements, faster cycle times or lower fraud leakage, then assess for those abilities. A skills-first brief lets you consider career changers and people from adjacent sectors, which widens the shortlist in a market where specialist skills stay scarce Computer Weekly (tech recruitment outlook 2026).
Build, don't only buy. With entry-level hiring squeezed techUK – What's actually happening with entry-level and graduate jobs?, an apprenticeship or internal-mobility track protects your pipeline and keeps knowledge in the business. And move quickly: in a low-hire market, good claims candidates still get snapped up, so a slow, multi-stage process loses you the people you most want.
Watch the headline signals. KPMG and the REC publish a monthly read on UK hiring conditions KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs June 2026, and the ONS tracks vacancies by sector every month ONS - Vacancies and jobs in the UK, August 2026. Use both to time your campaigns and set realistic expectations with hiring managers.
When you're widening the net, reach and speed matter. We search a database of 15 million candidates and manage recruitment end to end, from a ranked shortlist to a booked interview, so your claims team can focus on assessing the right people rather than sourcing them. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost.
Ready to widen the net for your next claims hire? Tell Reed.ai the role and we'll get to work today.
