The insurance industry is hiring more staff to deal with claims from recent natural disasters, creating a strong job market in the sector.

The Manpower Employment Outlook surveys for Australia and New Zealand show NZ employers need insurance staff following the Christchurch earthquakes, while both countries face an ongoing skill shortage.

New Zealand employers in the finance, insurance and real estate sector have doubled their hiring efforts for the coming quarter. Around 24% of companies in the sector expect to increase hiring.

Manpower NZ GM Michelle Visser says there is increased demand for insurance professionals to help assess the rebuilding effort in Christchurch.

“The insurance industry continues to be impacted by the earthquake in Christchurch,” she said. “We’re seeing increased demand for both junior and senior claims advisers in this sector and we are expecting more movement in these jobs as candidates look for better offers elsewhere.”

Ms Visser told insuranceNEWS.com.au that clients are concerned about whether there is enough talent available for jobs, and are looking abroad more for senior executives.

“We are certainly finding that demand is increasing, particularly around some of these more skilled positions and at more senior levels.”

Ms Visser says she is also working with employers to increase training and succession planning so they can promote internally, as there will be further shortages.

Manpower MD Lincoln Crawley says Australian employers also expect to increase hiring but they too must look at internal training and development to maintain their capability over the long term.

“This industry is typically very specific with the skill-sets required from job candidates,” he says. “However, as hiring intentions continue to rise, employers will need to think about other ways of finding the skills they need.”