The needles are off of the Christmas tree, presents are already used, broken or returned, and now it's time to dump the flat champagne and face the gray dawn of 2011. Or is it still 2010? There doesn't seem to be much difference.
December's job numbers were so disappointing that the stock market took a hit. Sales of existing homes late in the year fell lower than expected, spurring fears of a new wave of mortgage defaults. And Fitch and other sources are predicting another flat year for insurance pricing.
But things aren't all bleak. According to Swiss Re, although profits will remain under pressure in 2011, prospects are good for insurance companies, with growth expected to accelerate. “The crisis is over for the insurance industry,” said chief economist Thomas Hess in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires. “There are some after-shocks that need to be digested, like Greece or Ireland, but shareholder's capital has been restored.” And in a recent Bank of America survey, 47 percent of U.S. CFOs expect their companies to hire additional employees this year, up from 28 percent last year, and 64 percent expect revenue growth in 2011, up from 61 percent last year.
With Congress having extended the Bush-era tax breaks for another 2 years, businesses may move with a little more certainty this year, and depending on your situation, hiring may be in the picture. We hope so, especially if you're targeting younger people to add to your employee roll. In the recently released IIABA Agency Universe survey, findings show that the agency universe is indeed expanding–maybe not in numbers (which remains fairly stable at about 37,500), but in the types of new agencies out there. Minorities, women and second- and third-career entrepreneurs are driving the trend toward smaller agencies with an increasingly personal lines slant. Who better to face this changing business and carry it into the future than someone young with fresh ideas?
If you're optimistic about 2011 and interested in hiring, read this month's cover story. In speaking with representatives from several industry association groups for young producers, we discovered that young people are taking the initiative and driving the programs, which is as it should be. Most agree that if there's one thing our industry should do to attract young talent, it's to blow our own horn about how fulfilling and lucrative an insurance career can be. And the best spokespeople we could have are the young people who are already succeeding every day in the business. Check out our ongoing nGI features in the magazine and online for a youthful perspective on insurance.
Speaking of new, beginning in mid-January, AA&B's website will be moving to PropertyCasualty360.com, a new website that combines the established knowledge resources and news reporting of AA&B, National Underwriter P&C, Claims Magazine, Tech Decisions and Florida Underwriter, along with proprietary market data and relevant content aggregated from across the web to create one distinct and vital information source for all P&C professionals. Check it out today!
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