The next generation is making gains in P&C insurance, but needs remain

Never before have so many students enrolled in P&C insurance programs, and the number of graduates has more than doubled since 2022. Yet the industry in the province of Quebec still has a strong need for new talent: it expects to hire more than 10,600 people by 2029, primarily to replace workers leaving the labour market.

These are among the findings of the Diagnostic de la main-d’œuvre en assurance de dommages, published in French only, conducted over the past several months by the Coalition pour une relève en assurance de dommages (CRAD).

In 2025, the P&C insurance industry employed 34,473 people, an increase of less than 2 per cent compared with 2022. Ten thousand hires were made over the past three years.

CRAD commissioned management consulting firm Volume Dix to survey industry stakeholders between November 2025 and January 2026. A total of 67 companies, 140 professionals and representatives from 12 educational institutions were surveyed as part of the exercise, which also included focus groups and nearly 20 interviews. In commissioning the survey, CRAD sought to document how jobs in the industry are evolving and changing, identify insurers’ needs and determine the skills they are looking for in future employees.

“Even though we take the pulse of the industry every two or three years, this was the very first time the Coalition had conducted such an in-depth assessment,” says Solène Bitor, project director at CRAD. “It provides an encouraging and very comprehensive picture of the next generation of talent in the industry.”

Workers in demand

Needs nevertheless remain significant: by 2029, the industry expects to hire 10,638 people to meet demand, particularly to replace those retiring or leaving voluntarily.

Three-quarters of the hires projected by insurance companies are for broker (43 per cent) and P&C insurance agent (32 per cent) positions. These needs are driven more by retirements and employee replacement than by the creation of new positions.

To meet their needs, employers are primarily turning to two pools of candidates: those at the beginning of their careers (79 per cent) and more experienced workers making a career change into insurance (70 per cent). One out of 10 companies have also hired a retired industry professional who wanted to return to the workforce.

One interesting finding from the survey is that nearly seven in 10 people working in P&C insurance entered the sector without actively seeking a career in it. In fact, 41 per cent of survey respondents said they found their current job through a recommendation from someone they knew, while 27 per cent landed their job after coming across a job posting by chance.

A workforce putting down roots

The industry’s turnover rate has remained relatively stable in recent years. It rose from 9 per cent in 2022 to 10 per cent in 2025, compared with a provincial average of 24 per cent.

“That’s interesting,” says Bitor. “It means that once people enter the industry, they fall in love with it and enjoy the environment enough to stay.”

This stability can be explained in part by career opportunities in the industry: the prospect of advancement motivates 71 per cent of the workforce to stay, while 50 per cent of surveyed workers cited flexibility and job-related benefits as retention factors.

Record CEGEP enrolment

CRAD’s and the industry’s efforts to attract the next generation are paying off. With 1,358 enrolments in college programs, the 2024-2025 academic year saw the highest enrolment since 2015. At the same time, 543 students graduated from CEGEPs last year, an increase of 118 per cent since 2022.

“That’s what surprised me the most personally,” says Solène Bitor. “But despite record numbers of enrolments and graduates, the industry’s need for new talent remains significant.”

Aside from the marked increase in the number of claims in recent years, the insurance sector’s workforce will face other challenges, says Solène Bitor, pointing to growing regulatory complexity and the technological transformation of tools, which will lead insurers to seek new skills.

When surveyed about improvements to the training pathway, 36 per cent of employers said they would like to see a greater emphasis on developing interpersonal and customer service skills.

“It’s sometimes underestimated, but a large part of working in insurance involves supporting clients when they are going through a difficult situation, or even one of the most difficult moments of their lives,” says Bitor.

Developing an empathetic approach and deepening client relationships are also among the areas that should be addressed through internal training, according to 46 per cent of respondents.

These human skills will become increasingly sought after and necessary as two out of three companies (65 per cent) already use digital tools, including artificial intelligence tools.

Respondents also noted that while AI can automate certain repetitive tasks, “it increases the importance of judgment, analysis, adaptability and interpersonal skills,” the report states.

From findings to solutions

Now that the findings of the Diagnostic de la main-d’œuvre en assurance de dommages are known, CRAD will begin implementing some of the recommendations it contains, including establishing roundtables bringing together various partners and industry representatives.

“We want to explore certain issues in greater depth, including training and human resources, so that the actions we prioritize are those that are most relevant to the industry,” Bitor explains. “We want to bring together all stakeholders in the ecosystem to exchange ideas, reflect and implement collective solutions.”