‘Not knowing is rough.’ State Farm workers reel amid uncertainty
"I hope I'm one of those who's able to stay (employed)," said Mindy Grame of
Potentially 800 people could be out of work of the 1,400 people in the company's two downtown
Those reached Friday said they enjoy working for
Other companies in the region are hiring. Insurance giant Allstate plans to hire 600 in the Northwest, including 200 in
"It's hard not to be disappointed," said said
"It's a great environment," Porter said of working there, "and it's just an unfortunate situation."
Many workers patronize
"We are one of the closest businesses," Sepanovs said.
He's confident the company's space will attract another employer, and he's not too particular what kind.
"We welcome all kind of people," he said. "I'm just surprised they are closing up."
Down the street at
Last year,
"Amazon would be great. We're ready for it now," he said.
Last May,
"While
More competition, rising claims costs
Brine also noted it's a time of transition not only in the health care marketplace but also for life insurance and property casualty insurance.
Contributing factors, according to Brine, include automation, including the use of "chatbots," to interact and calculate customers' needs; rising claims costs; and preparing for the next era of autonomous driving.
"If there is a trend, it is about companies looking for streamlining and efficiency opportunities where they can, knowing that change is in the wind," Brine said Friday.
Also, he noted, "Companies can't simply 'charge more' to make up for higher costs -- they must find ways to be more efficient."
These factors "may mean some companies actually grow their workforce in our state to respond to our growing local economy, while others use resources elsewhere to reduce or consolidate workload."
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