The Talent Crisis — And Opportunity

A recent survey by PwC found that nearly two-thirds of employees in the U.S., including executives, are looking for a new job. That number is stunning.

It suggests that insurers need to play some serious defense, to keep employees happy and on board and to keep competitors from poaching talent. But it also illuminates an opportunity to play offense.

If lots of employees are looking for a new position, then, by all means, let’s go get the best we can.

As someone who chose to get involved with insurance eight years ago because of what I saw as a huge opportunity for digital innovation, I’ve always been struck by the industry’s inferiority complex.

People talk about how they fell into insurance, rather than choosing it. Many talk about the industry as slow-moving and boring. In fact, it seems to me that insurance combines a noble purpose with a great opportunity — a chance to use digital technology to ‘put a dent in the universe,’ as Steve Jobs once memorably put it.