Progressive To Add 1,000 Jobs In Austin

Jan. 24--Hundreds more jobs -- this time non-tech -- are coming to Austin.

Auto insurance company Progressive announced Thursday that it plans to create 1,000 jobs in Austin as part of a national hiring push to add 10,000 workers in 2019.

The new Austin positions will be in sales, customer service and claims at Progressive's contact center, which is off East Ben White Boulevard. The center is the company's main bilingual service facility, and some of the positions will be for workers who speak English and Spanish.

The Austin hires are part of an expansion plan for Progressive, which is also adding jobs in Cleveland, Colorado Springs, Phoenix, Sacramento and Tampa. In addition, the company said it will be adding work-from-home positions in some locations for inbound sales jobs.

Progressive, based in Ohio, is the third-largest auto insurer in the nation and has 33,000 workers across the country. In Austin, where many of its employees work in call centers for customer service, sales, claims and operations, Progressive has more than 1,600 employees.

Progressive's decision to deepen its investment in Austin comes as the local economy continues to boom. Austin-area employers added jobs last month nearly as fast as new workers entered the labor force -- resulting in jobless rate of 2.7 percent in December, which matched a low for the year.

The strong economy in the metro area -- which includes Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell counties -- has benefited businesses ranging from professional services and construction companies to retail shops and restaurants. But many employers are struggling to hire enough workers to keep up with the demand, amid a labor market nearly as stretched as it was two decades ago during the dot-com boom.

Meanwhile, tech giants including Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook are continuing to expand in Central Texas, drawn by the region's talent pool and lower cost of living.

Last month, Apple announced it would spent $1 billion to build a new 133-acre corporate campus in North Austin that initially will employ up to 5,000 people, cementing Austin's status as the high-tech company's largest hub outside of its California headquarters.

The facility -- which will be less than a mile from Apple's existing main Austin campus on Parmer Lane -- eventually could expand to accommodate up to 15,000 workers, the company said. Apple employs about 6,200 people in Austin now. Counting contractors, its current Austin workforce numbers about 7,000.

Charisse Bodisch, senior vice president of economic development at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, said Progressive's expansion in Austin is welcome news because jobs in a mix of industries and entry levels are important to Austin's workforce balance.

"Progressive, one of our region's significant insurance customer experience employers, is helping diversify our economy by providing good paying, mid-skill, jobs," Bodisch said. "Their commitment to our region continues to provide opportunities for Central Texans to earn a good salary, pay their bills, provide for their families, and work towards achieving greater prosperity."

Founded in 1937, Progressive has increased revenue by 50 percent over the past three years to $30 billion in 2018. Now, company executives said, it is ready for a hiring blitz to support its rapid growth.

"This is the largest hiring forecast in Progressive's history," Lori Niederst, Progressive chief human resources officer, said in a written statement. "We are excited to add hardworking talent to our team who are interested in a career with Progressive. For decades, we've been developing people who started in jobs like these into successful business athletes who rise to our leadership ranks. In fact, our CEO started as a claims rep."

Progressive opened operations in Austin about 30 years ago and moved to its current campus in 2005. Since then, the company has steadily grown its presence here, citing the region's strong workforce, experienced customer service industry and bilingual talent pool.

Salaries for Austin jobs range from $15 to $19 an hour for inbound sales representatives to $46,000 a year for claims adjuster trainees.

Progressive offers medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits, as well as four weeks of paid parental leave for moms and dads, including same-sex partners, adoptive parents and foster parents. New hires are also eligible to participate in the company's annual bonus plan.

Progressive also offers flexible work arrangements, and a sizable percentage of its Austin employees work from home, the company said. The Austin campus includes a cafeteria, a gym with exercise classes and a health services clinic.

Information about the open positions is available at Progressive.com/careers.

American-Statesman reporter Bob Sechler contributed to this report.

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