Insurance industry executives and groups working to attract millennials to the sector are now actively targeting their younger colleagues to help get the word out.

On Dec. 2, the recruiting initiative held a webinar designed to appeal to younger property/casualty insurance employees to raise awareness of the industry and help recruit new applicants. According to organizers, close to 2,000 people took part in the webinar, with millennials and others logging in from the U.S., U.K., Turkey, Switzerland, Mexico, Ireland, India, France, Canada and Bermuda.

The younger employees who tuned in represented 107 different companies and organizations, according to a spokesperson.

Hamilton Insurance Group Chairman and CEO Brian Duperreault hosted the town hall-style webinar. He told his employees afterward that the event was “unprecedented,” unlike any he had seen in his 40-year career, the spokesperson said.

The event was designed to engage and encourage young insurance professionals already in the industry to take part in what is called the Insurance Careers Movement. By doing so, they would spread the word about industry career opportunities, under the idea that folks already in the industry are the best people to help recruit new talent.

Organizers followed up the webinar with a short questionnaire to all registrants about recruiting policy best practices, the spokesperson said.

The quest to more heavily recruit younger employees into the P/C industry is driven, in part, by statistics that show there will be 400,000 positions becoming vacant within four years. As well, organizers say, the sector has not been very diverse and members of the industry have struggled to recruit among high school and university students. The Institutes, MyPath, Valen Analytics, The Jacobson Group, InVEST and PCI are among those involved in the project.

Speakers during the webinar included XL Catlin CEO Mike McGavick and Argo Group President and CEO Mark E. Watson III. Other professionals who spoke included Tijana Richards, a vice president at Marsh Global Analytics; Lissette Delgato, agent and office manager at JVS Insurance Agency; and Ben Thomas, audit executive in the Delegated Authorities Division at Lloyd’s.

The Insurance Careers Movement launched a careers month in February, which featured video testimonials posted on YouTube from executives including Duperreault, McGavick and Lloyd’s CEO Inga Beale.

This year, the effort has also included insurance industry professionals sharing their stories on the web, in social media and at local events such as job fairs, internships and volunteer programs.

Overall, the Insurance Careers Movement includes more than 600 insurance carriers, agents/brokers, trade associations and industry partners.

Source: PCIAA/Hamilton Insurance Group