As property/casualty insurers continue a quest to attract younger, millennial employees, a new survey underscores how difficult their task continues to be.

Just 4 percent of millennials see insurance as an appealing industry, according to The Hartford’s 2015 Millennial Leadership Survey. That contrasts with 40 percent of millennials who said they want to work in arts and entertainment, 36 percent of respondents who targeted education as a career preference and 36 percent who saw technology as a desirable career option.

Susan Johnson, head of diversity and inclusion at The Hartford, said that the insurer is working hard to show millennials (ages 18 to 34) that insurance as a career can address a variety of their interests.

“Insurance offers a variety of career paths such as tech, big data and marketing, as well as flexible work and leadership development,” Johnson said in prepared remarks. “We don’t want to miss out on future leaders because of misconception about the industry.”

That’s where some of The Hartford’s other survey findings can come in handy as far as learning what makes millennials tick.

Among the findings:

• 80 percent of millennials consider themselves as leaders today.
• 69 percent want to be leaders within the next five years.
• Women were more likely than men to want to lead in hobbies and nonprofits/community.
• Men are more likely than women to want to lead in sports and politics.
• Millennials want companies to promote that they have a variety of career opportunities, competitive salaries, flexible work schedules, competitive benefits and leadership opportunities.
• 60 percent said they want their employers to train them for leadership skills.
• 54 percent said they want training for technical skills.

In late October, several companies and industry groups announced plans for an Insurance Career Month in February 2016. The effort will involve large numbers of millennial insurance industry employees fanning out across the U.S. to schools, other venues and social media to get the word out about the P/C industry and what it has to offer.

The coalition behind the project includes Hamilton Insurance Group; MyPath, powered by The Institutes; Valen Analytics; The Jacobson Group; InVEST; and the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.

The Hartford said its 2015 Millennial Leadership Survey is a national omnibus survey conducted weekly among a sample of 1,000 U.S. consumers, ages 18-34, who had “some college education or higher.” Interviewing took place in August 2015 on behalf of The Hartford, using ORC International’s Generational Millennial CARAVAN Omnibus.

Source: The Hartford