Insurance firms are struggling to fill job vacancies, particularly in niche roles, as they suspend advertising offshore and are unable to sponsor employment visas for talented applicants due to COVID restrictions.

Aon Head of Analytics Peter Cheesman recently resorted to putting a blanket call out on LinkedIn to his large professional network, requesting that “if anyone knows of people already based in Australia with catastrophe modelling or reinsurance actuarial skills that might be looking for an exciting new opportunity please recommend them to come and speak to me”.

There are “perhaps only 20 really good qualified catastrophe modellers in Australia,” Mr Cheesman told insuranceNEWS.com.au, and historically up to 80% of his team might come from overseas.

“It is a very small community,” he said. “It becomes quite difficult to get hold of these people”.

Finding actuaries with experience in reinsurance is also currently a challenge, Aon says, while recruiters report high demand for dispute resolution officers, underwriters and professional indemnity and liability claims consultants, as well as candidates who have upskilled their digital competencies as the digital transformation progresses.

Recruitment firm Hays tells insuranceNEWS.com.au demand for niche skills is rising in response to candidate shortages and insurance is very much an “active” jobs market.

“Border closures have reduced the candidate pool and there are now mounting skills shortages across Australia’s insurance industry,” Hays regional director Carl Piesse said.

“With employers expected to add further to their headcounts, demand will only intensify further for niche and experienced insurance professionals.”