General Insurance Hiring in Australia Has Changed. Most Haven’t Caught Up.

Hiring in general insurance hasn't just gotten harder. It has fundamentally changed, and most organisations haven't caught up.

The real problem isn't a talent shortage. It's how we're hiring.

Yes, there is a shortage. But that's only part of the story. The bigger issue is that the best candidates aren't sitting on job boards waiting for your ad to go live. They're already employed, they're being approached directly, and they're making decisions before most roles even reach the market. When hiring still relies on traditional advertising and slow internal processes, the outcome is pretty predictable. Delays, missed hires, and compromised decisions that cost far more in the long run.

The skills gap is getting wider

The market is asking more of its people, and the talent pipeline simply isn't keeping pace. High performers in general insurance now need to bring technical expertise, digital capability and commercial thinking to the table, and that combination is genuinely rare. Hiring is no longer about finding good candidates. It's about securing the few who can actually deliver at the level the role requires.

Where hiring is breaking down

Across general insurance in Australia, the same roles keep stalling. Claims Managers, Senior Underwriters, Risk and Compliance Specialists, Loss Adjusters, and Insurance Broker professionals.

What strong employers are doing differently

The organisations securing the best talent right now aren't doing more, they're doing it differently. They're building pipelines before roles exist, not scrambling after they go live. They move with intent, with clear process, quick decisions and minimal friction. They lead with what actually matters to candidates: career growth, genuine leadership opportunity and flexibility, not just a salary figure. And critically, they're accessing networks rather than relying on job boards, because the candidates they need aren't actively looking.

The shift is already happening

AI, digital underwriting and predict-and-prevent models are reshaping the industry at pace. Hiring strategies haven't kept up, and that's exactly where the gap is widening.

If you're still waiting for candidates to come to you, you're already behind. The organisations that adapt will secure the talent. The ones that don't will keep asking why the same roles aren't landing.

If you're hiring within General Insurance across Australia, or considering your next move, now is a good time to have a conversation.

Danielle Marshall, Director & Co-Founder

Frequently Asked Questions

What roles are most in demand in general insurance right now?

Claims Managers, Senior Underwriters, Loss Adjusters, Risk and Compliance Specialists, and Injury Management professionals are consistently the hardest roles to fill across Australia.

Why is hiring so competitive in insurance?

The overlap between deep technical insurance knowledge and digital capability is limited, and most of the people who have both are already employed and not actively looking.

How long should we expect roles to take to fill?

Specialist roles are taking longer than they used to, particularly when the process relies on job advertising alone. The more complex the brief, the more important early pipeline work becomes.

Should we use a specialist recruiter?

In this market, yes. Access to passive talent and established networks is critical, and that's not something a job ad can replicate.

What do candidates actually care about most?

Beyond salary, candidates are consistently prioritising career progression, quality of leadership, flexibility and the reputation of the business they're joining.