Insurance Times unveils 2026 Talent Report with Intact
The insurance industry is betting on people as much as on algorithms. A new report, released this week, finds that while artificial intelligence and data skills are surging in demand, the abilities that still set firms apart are the ones humans have always relied on: trust, communication, and judgment.
The Talent Development Report 2026, published in partnership with Intact Insurance, draws on responses from 304 professionals across insurers, brokers, managing general agents, and Lloyd’s syndicates. It maps how the sector plans to attract, train, and keep the next generation of workers amid rapid digital change and mounting regulatory pressure.
Digital skills lead, but human ones endure
The survey ranks AI and machine learning as the fastest-growing competency area, with 72% of respondents flagging it as a priority. Yet the same professionals place nearly equal weight on interpersonal skills: relationship building (59%), communication (54%), critical thinking (52%), and adaptability (50%) are expected to define success over the next five years.
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That balance reflects a tension running through the industry. Firms are racing to automate underwriting and claims, but clients still want to speak to someone when things go wrong.
Barriers to entry remain stubborn
Nearly half of respondents cite poor industry reputation as a major hurdle, describing insurance as “boring” or “outdated” in focus groups. Another 43% point to lack of awareness about career options, particularly among school leavers. Many young people assume the sector is limited to sales or actuarial work, unaware of roles in data science, product design, or climate risk modeling.
Firms are experimenting with solutions. Some are partnering with universities to embed insurance modules into business and computer science degrees. Others are running “insurance hackathons” where students compete to design new products or fraud-detection models. The most successful initiatives, the report suggests, are those that treat insurance as a tech-adjacent field rather than a separate, staid profession.
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Retention is another battleground. The survey reveals that nearly a third of employees who leave do so within their first two years. The top reasons: limited career progression, lack of training opportunities, and feeling undervalued. Firms that have reduced turnover share a few traits: they offer mentorship programs, rotate staff through different departments, and tie bonuses to skill development, not just sales targets.
The report’s timing is notable. It arrives as the UK government ramps up pressure on financial services to demonstrate progress on diversity and inclusion. The Financial Conduct Authority has signaled it will soon require
There’s also a quiet acknowledgment that AI won’t solve everything. While tools like generative chatbots can handle routine queries, they struggle with nuance—say, explaining why a claim was denied or calming an angry policyholder. The report quotes one underwriter: “Clients don’t want to hear that a machine made the call. They want to know a person stood behind it.”
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That sentiment isn’t new. Insurance has always been a people business, even when the product is intangible. What’s changed is the speed at which firms must adapt. The data suggests the winners will be those that treat talent development as seriously as they do algorithmic efficiency—without assuming one can replace the other.
The report is part of a broader campaign called the Destination Charter, launched earlier this year to raise awareness of insurance careers. The charter asks firms to commit to measurable goals, such as increasing the number of apprenticeships or publishing diversity metrics. So far, 47 companies have signed on, though the report stops short of grading their progress.
For now, the message is clear: the industry’s future hinges on its ability to blend cutting-edge tools with old-fashioned trust. The firms that get that balance right may find they have an edge not just in hiring, but in keeping clients—and regulators—on their side.
