Insurers are currently balancing mounting claims pressure, constant regulatory shifts, and the rapid adoption of AI, all while competing for a limited pool of experienced talent. Simultaneously, there is heightened scrutiny on costs, headcount, and delivery. In our conversations with clients, we are seeing a definitive shift: the focus is no longer just on who to hire, but on how to hire to ensure the right outcomes.
At HAYLO People, we work closely with our clients to anticipate business needs, from upcoming projects and growth plans to year-end priorities and design a bespoke hiring strategy to support them. Whether the solution involves permanent, contract, or temporary hiring, our objective remains the same: securing the talent necessary to drive results and maximise return on investment.
Permanent, Contract and Temporary Hiring – Getting the Balance Right
Each hiring model plays a different role depending on the nature of the work, and choosing the right approach can have a direct impact on delivery, cost and performance.
Permanent Hiring: Building Long-Term Capability
Permanent hiring remains critical when building long-term capability and leadership within a business.
We typically see this across:
These roles are structural to the organisation and require continuity, stakeholder alignment and long-term impact. However, strong candidates in this market rarely stay available for long. Organisations that move with clarity and pace are consistently the ones that secure the best people.
Contract Hiring: Delivering Change and Specialist Capability
Contract hiring has become a key lever across the industry, particularly where there is pressure to deliver outcomes quickly and manage cost.
We are seeing increasing demand for contract professionals supporting:
Claims backlog and surge activity
End of financial year administration
System and digital transformation initiatives
Post-merger integration and business changes
In this market, contract hiring is no longer just a short-term solution. It is a strategic way to access specialist capability, deliver on key initiatives and scale teams without increasing long-term headcount.
Temporary Hiring: Maintaining Operational Stability
Temporary hiring continues to play an important role in maintaining operational stability, particularly in high-volume environments.
This is most valuable across:
It allows organisations to maintain service levels, support teams during peak periods and remain responsive to changing demand.
Market Context: Why This Matters Now
One of the biggest pressure points across the industry right now is claims.
Claims teams are at the centre of customer experience, operational performance and financial outcomes. When there are gaps, delays or backlogs, it’s felt immediately across the business.
At the same time, talent is still tight. Entry-level pipelines are limited, and experienced professionals across underwriting, claims, risk and compliance are moving quickly. If hiring decisions are slow, the best candidates are gone.
Layer in ongoing cost pressure, and it’s clear why clients are being more deliberate.
We’re seeing a shift towards more flexible hiring models, using contract and temporary solutions to balance delivery, capability and cost.
Different Challenges Across the Market
At HAYLO People, we work across brokers, underwriting agencies and larger insurers, and the workforce challenges can look quite different.
For brokers and agencies, the focus is often on growth, change or M&A, where scaling quickly while maintaining service levels is critical.
For larger insurers, the pressure is typically around transformation, regulatory programs and system change, where more specialised capability is needed to deliver.
In both cases, aligning the right hiring model to the challenge is what ultimately drives outcomes.
Choosing the Right Approach
Finding talent in general insurance isn’t getting any easier. Claims pressure remains high, talent is constrained, and the pace of change continues.
The organisations getting ahead aren’t just competing for talent. They’re making more deliberate decisions about how they hire and structure their workforce.
Because ultimately, hiring is no longer just about filling roles. It’s about delivering outcomes.
At HAYLO People, we partner with our clients to understand what they’re trying to achieve and advise on the right hiring approach, whether that’s temporary, contract or permanent.
