Two of the hardest hit sectors of the industry in recent years have been claims adjusters and agents/brokers. Since the recession began in December 2007, there's been a 16% decline in the number of claims adjusters and a 7.1% decline in the number of agents and brokers, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared to a 7.2% decline in employment overall.
But in October, even as the industry cut jobs slightly overall, "employment in the field" in those areas went up compared to the prior month, noted the I.I.I.
Agents and brokers did particularly well, as the industry added 4,200 such jobs, a 0.7% increase from September, which the I.I.I. called "the strongest month-to-month uptick since July 2008." The industry also added 400 jobs for claims adjusters, which also amounted to a 0.7% increase.