AI won’t solve the workforce crisis; here’s what will

Those who rely on artificial intelligence and automation to solve the impending workforce crisis in the insurance industry should reposition their strategy and start taking steps to address the issue, suggested a 30-year industry veteran and founder of an independent insurance business process outsourcing agency.

The crisis is that thousands of insurance professionals are expected to retire from the industry in the next 10-15 years.

“We call it the silver tsunami; it’s coming and I think everybody has sightline to that. What I’m seeing in the industry, broadly speaking, is people are kind of ignoring it. They think the automation AI journey will be enough to outrun the talent deficit, but it won’t catch up. It’s not going to be meaningful enough to be able to do it,” Norm Hudson, CEO of Staff Boom, said.

In his view, a better strategy is to rethink priorities so that businesses are positioned to create dedicated training programs and invest appropriately in the areas where they can offer competitive earning opportunities.

“This needs to be a high priority for executives, in my opinion,” Hudson said. “They’re going to run aground.”

A longstanding challenge

Much of the narrative surrounding the silver tsunami centers on the younger generation and their hesitancy to join the insurance industry. However, Hudson said the issue was already beginning to take root over a decade ago.

“In 2014, I was already seeing tightening in the insurance industry and the topic content around where the industry doesn’t draw in talent well … I don’t think this is a Gen Z issue. I think that this is a longstanding, industry-wide issue,” he said.

In Hudson’s experience, the issue is “largely a perception thing — a lack of visibility and the portrayal of the insurance guy being some goofy guy that was slimy.”

To make matters worse, he also believes the industry as a whole “has become increasingly cannibalistic in recent years,” exacerbating competition for talent and creating wage pressure.

“Everybody’s going in; they don’t have the patience, time or programs to develop their talent. So, they’re grabbing others’ people; they’re stripping out that talent. It’s creating a major cost problem for those businesses and it’s not creating a larger pool of people,” he said.

Why AI isn’t the answer

There is a connection between artificial intelligence and Generation Z in the insurance industry, as research and expert insight suggest technology can help attract more young professionals to the workforce.

“There’s a very antiquated technology set in this industry, and I think that’s where you start to really lose Gen Z. They like quick, efficient; they like technology and the industry is not caught up,” Hudson said.

He acknowledged many insurance companies are investing in and focusing on technology, including AI, to help attract and retain younger professionals. And automation helping eliminate some remedial job tasking and entry-level tasks will help bring about the more meaningful, better-compensated jobs that Gen Z wants, he added.

But he doesn’t expect those kinds of developments to be made quickly enough to stem the tide of the silver tsunami — due in no small part to the foundational technology gaps and data gaps that exist within the insurance industry.

“I think a lot of people are betting on automation AI as the solution. I don’t see it emerging quickly enough. I think that people are going to have to really get back to the drawing board and make real, conscientious investment in the development of the next generation of talent that’s coming up,” Hudson said.

Messaging matters

For Hudson, the issue boils down to messaging: reframing what the insurance industry is, refreshing brands and changing the narrative.

“How do we get procurement of better visibility and better staffing to come in the direction of the insurance industry, which is a clear issue in the industry today that hasn’t been well addressed. Those solutions have not been deployed in a meaningful manner yet,” he said.

To this end, he suggested two key strategies:

1. Developing more appealing job descriptions
2. Deliberate, foundational education about what the industry can offer

“I think it starts with how you’re messaging the opportunities,” Hudson said. “If you go out and you look at the job boards in the space, they still are very boring; they’re blasé. I think getting better descriptions, taking on education resources and also being meaningfully intentional about what you’re doing is going to be a key initiative.”

He also said integration with academic or professional development programs through universities or other institutions that offer insurance courses, internships and a fast-track to meaningful and well-compensated senior roles, is “beginning to turn the tide.”

“Too few businesses do that today. I think more people need to be deliberate and invest the dollars and be willing to come in with the meaningful investment to generate the next level of talent,” Hudson said.

Staff Boom is a private insurance business process outsourcing company founded in 2014 and based in Anaheim, Calif.

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