Brokers with at least five years’ experience are among insurance industry personnel expected to be in high demand as business activity increases next year, recruiting firm Hays says.

“The lack of entry-level roles over recent years has created today’s shortage of experienced professionals,” Hays says in highlighting the expected strong job market for brokers with Tier 1 qualifications.

Insurance assistant account executives and liability and professional indemnity claims handlers are also set to be in demand, along with dispute resolution officers with experience in specialist areas such as travel and life claims.

“Such niche expertise is in short supply, yet growing demand, as insurance companies move this function inhouse,” the firm says.

Hays has identified close to 100 skills that will be in greatest demand next year across 27 industries and sectors following recent conversations with employers about their recruitment plans.

The sectors include insurance, accountancy and finance, banking, legal, marketing, manufacturing, education and healthcare, construction and human resources.

“We’re seeing vacancy activity rise in many areas as organisations return to growth and look to protect their future,” Hays Australia & New Zealand MD Nick Deligiannis says.

“In terms of the balance of temporary and permanent roles, while contract remained resilient throughout 2020, permanent vacancy activity is bouncing back as business confidence increases.”

Hays says many of the most in-demand jobs are those deemed critical to project delivery or business operations, while jobs that allow “organisations and people to perform at their peak” also rank highly.

COVID-19 influences are set to fuel employment of governance risk and compliance experts and policy and project managers who can help review or develop internal policies in response to the coronavirus.

Work health and safety officers are also likely to be highly sought, along with cloud engineers in the IT sector as employers continue to adapt and strengthen systems and processes.

In the legal area, individuals and business owners falling into contractual or company disputes due to pandemic-induced financial pressure will drive demand for commercial litigation and insolvency lawyers.

Hays also sees demand for insurance lawyers who can work on child and sexual abuse claims following outcomes on royal commission investigations and subsequent historical abuse claims.

In marketing and digital, sought-after personnel will include customer relationship managers and loyalty managers who can use large volumes of data and reporting from various segments to create strategy or retention tools.

Creative and content managers with a background in copywriting, graphic design or art direction are expected to be in demand, along with digital marketing experts and e-commerce managers.