The insurance industry is no stranger to talent challenges. An aging workforce, accelerating retirements, and growing role complexity have made attracting and retaining new professionals a strategic concern across carriers, brokers, and service organizations. Too often, however, the conversation centers on what younger workers supposedly lack — whether that is loyalty, patience, or awareness of the industry.
Insights from the ReSource Pro Summit 2025 panel, “Raising Up Generational Talent,” point to a more useful conclusion. The issue is not a lack of interest in insurance careers. It is a lack of exposure, clarity, and intentional pathways into the industry. When those elements are present, early-career professionals do not just stay — they become advocates.
Entry paths matter more than original intent
A notable takeaway from the panel was that none of the speakers planned to enter insurance. Their paths were indirect, shaped by internships, academic programs, personal connections, or pivots from adjacent fields. What changed their perception was not a preexisting passion for insurance, but the experience they encountered once they were inside the industry.
This highlights an opportunity many organizations overlook. Insurance does not need to compete with technology or consulting on image. It needs to compete on accessibility and storytelling. When students and early professionals can see how insurance works in practice, outdated assumptions fade quickly.
Programs that create early exposure — such as internships, co-ops, project-based learning, and academic partnerships — help demystify the industry. They replace abstract ideas with lived experience, which is far more effective than marketing messages alone.
Mentorship and proximity drive engagement
Another clear message from the panel was the importance of in-person connection. Contrary to common assumptions about Gen Z preferring distance or isolation, panelists emphasized how much proximity and informal mentorship mattered to their growth.
Being able to ask questions in real time, observe decision-making, and build relationships organically increased confidence and accelerated learning. Simple moments — like conversations over coffee or recognition in passing — created a sense of belonging that formal training programs alone cannot replicate.
This has implications for how organizations structure early-career roles. Training and onboarding matter, but mentorship and access matter just as much. Young professionals benefit from structure that mirrors academic environments while giving them space to learn through observation and interaction.
For leaders focused on retention, the takeaway is straightforward: relationships are not an optional benefit. They are a core component of development and engagement.
Technology and purpose close the perception gap
Many young professionals enter insurance assuming it is slow or outdated. That perception often changes quickly once they see how much technology and innovation is already embedded in modern insurance organizations.
Still, technology alone is not what keeps people engaged. Purpose plays a larger role.
Panelists spoke about the meaning they found in helping communities recover from disasters, enabling medical and scientific innovation, and supporting businesses through uncertainty. When leaders clearly connect individual roles to these outcomes, the work becomes more than transactional.
This matters because younger professionals are not only choosing jobs. They are choosing identities. Organizations that articulate why the work matters build stronger commitment, pride, and long-term loyalty.
Building a sustainable talent pipeline
The Maguire Academy’s three-pillar model — enriching curriculum, engaging students, and enhancing the industry brand — offers a useful blueprint. Early exposure to real-world challenges, consistent interaction with industry professionals, and opportunities to apply knowledge in context help bridge the gap between education and employment.
For carriers, brokers, and service providers, the lesson is clear. Talent development cannot begin at onboarding. It must start earlier and extend beyond technical skills to include mentorship, communication, and career visibility.
Reframing the talent challenge
The insurance industry often frames its talent challenge as a generational problem. In reality, it is a visibility and engagement problem that can be addressed with intention.
Young professionals are not rejecting insurance. Many simply have not been invited in the right way. When organizations offer structure, mentorship, purpose, and a clear growth path, they do more than attract talent. They develop future leaders.
The challenge is not convincing the next generation that insurance matters. It is showing them where they belong within it.
Source: Raising up generational talent: the changing face of insurance recruitment
Author: David Kaplan
Publication: The Insurance Lead
Original Publication Date: 2025
