What is the state of insurance hiring today?

Insurance sits inside financial services, and that context tells us a lot about where the roles are heading. Recent government analysis found that recruitment in financial services was generally for higher-qualified positions rather than entry-level ones GOV.UK's Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report (2026). In practice, that means firms are competing for people who can hold regulated responsibilities, interpret risk and advise with confidence.

Group protection, the cover employers put in place for their staff, is a live example of that demand. As more businesses build wellbeing and financial resilience into their benefits, insurers and intermediaries need more skilled hands to design, price, sell and service those schemes. So the question for employers is simple: how do you find qualified people quickly when everyone is chasing the same skills?

Which insurance roles and skills are in demand?

Group protection touches almost every part of an insurance business, which is why the growth spreads hiring across so many teams. Because the sector leans towards higher-qualified roles the same GOV.UK Stage 2 report, the people in demand tend to combine technical knowledge with clear judgement.

• Underwriters who can assess risk across employee populations and price schemes fairly.
• Claims and case managers who handle life, critical illness and income protection claims with care.
• Employee benefits consultants and advisers who help businesses choose and manage cover.
• Actuarial and pricing analysts who model risk and keep products competitive.
• Product and proposition specialists who shape new group protection offerings.
• Client relationship and account managers who keep employer schemes running smoothly.

The common thread is trust. These roles carry regulated duties and real responsibility for people's financial security, so employers look for qualifications, sound judgement and the soft skills to explain complex cover in plain terms.

How do you hire well in insurance right now?

When the roles you need sit at the higher-qualified end as GOV.UK's Stage 2 report highlights, the winners are the employers who move quickly and describe the job clearly. Here is what works.

• Write for the person, not the process: name the qualifications you truly need and the ones you will help someone build.
• Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves so you widen the pool rather than shrinking it.
• Value transferable skills: strong claims handlers, advisers and analysts often move in from adjacent financial services.
• Move fast on good people, because qualified candidates rarely stay on the market for long.
• Be honest about the mission: people who care about financial resilience want to know their work matters.

Do these well and you compete on more than a job title. You compete on speed, clarity and purpose, which is exactly what higher-qualified people look for.

Where does Reed.ai fit in?

This is where we come in. We search a database of 15 million candidates to surface people who match your group protection roles, so you can move at the speed the market demands. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. If you are hiring in insurance today, start a role with us and see who we match.