A new analysis from the 2026 Travelers Injury Impact Report found that employees in their first year on the job remain the most vulnerable to workplace injuries. Reviewing more than 1.2 million workers’ compensation claims from 2021 through 2025, Travelers reported that 37% of workplace injuries involved first-year employees. Those claims resulted in more than 5 million lost workdays and represented roughly 34% of total workers’ compensation claim costs.
For insurance claims professionals, the findings reinforce the importance of evaluating employee tenure when investigating losses and identifying injury trends. New workers often have limited experience with workplace hazards, equipment, and company safety procedures. That can increase both claim frequency and claim severity if training and supervision are inadequate.
The report also encourages employers to move beyond traditional safety programs by using claims data to identify patterns, strengthen onboarding, and provide targeted training for higher-risk employees. Claims adjusters, risk managers, and employers can use this information to support loss prevention efforts, reduce workplace injuries, and improve return-to-work outcomes.
