QBE is creating almost 190 new jobs in Australia and New Zealand after deciding some claims roles should not be undertaken offshore.

In 2013 the insurer moved about 700 positions from Australia to its Group Shared Service Centre in the Philippines.

Now it says it is changing the way it manages its property claims, and 159 roles will be moved back to Parramatta and Newcastle, with a further 19 relocated to Auckland.

The move will be praised by brokers, many of whom have been critical of QBE’s claims handling and “cumbersome” property claims procedures.

“QBE is committed to putting the customer at the centre of everything we do, and this means we are always evolving the way we do business so we can provide our customers with the best experience possible,” a spokesman told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

He says property claims “involve intensive interactions, negotiations and co-ordination with customers, brokers and suppliers as well as deep knowledge and understanding of the Australian and New Zealand property context and issues”.

“In line with other changes being made in how we manage the end-to-end property claims supply chain, we have decided to bring these claims processes closer to where our customers are located in Australia and New Zealand to enable a tighter connection with our loss adjusters, assessors, tradespeople and other household goods suppliers.”

However, QBE says the Group Shared Service Centre in the Philippines remains a “critical component” of its Australian and New Zealand operations.

“Our short-tail claims teams [in the centre] will continue to service all other motor claims across both intermediary and consumer and retail channels,” the spokesman said.

More details in our regular bulletin on Monday.