How to widen your claims talent pool

We recently spoke to over 100 claims professionals to understand how they feel about working in the US financial services industry. This covered their working preferences, skills in demand and reasons for moving. Many of our respondents told us that when looking for jobs, they’re often restricted in what they feel they can apply for due to organizations’ very specific requirements. How can hiring companies appeal to a wider range of claims professionals and in the process, widen their talent pools?

Look beyond law degrees

Many insurers insist their claims adjusters have a law degree – but with 90% of claims professionals not actively admitted attorneys, organizations are missing out on much of the available talent.

Why the insistence? In some cases, insurers include a law degree on the job description to assess the caliber of candidates, but they’re still open to those without a legal background. The problem is, a candidate without a law degree will take one look at the job and think there’s no point applying – so by not listing it as compulsory, you’ll make a lot more talent available to you. At the same time, not insisting on law degrees will bring you a number of other benefits:

Save on wage costs – Completing a law degree is expensive. Public in-state tuition averages over $28,000 annually while public out-of-state and private school tuition costs an average of over $49,000 a year – and that’s before you factor in living expenses. Hiring a qualified attorney means adjusting the salary to factor in all these expenses. By hiring people who aren’t qualified attorneys, organizations can open their roles to a wider variety of people without having to cover school fees.

Cover more claims – Because the US is so big, candidates with law degrees might only be licensed to practice law in specific states, limiting how many claims they can cover for the entire US. One of the bigger insurance groups in the US operates only in New Jersey and Louisiana, so claims adjusters can practice law in only two states, far away from each other.

Pay for adjuster’s licenses

Claims adjusters must take state-specific exams to become licensed and certified, and in certain states, they might need to continue taking educational courses in order to maintain their license. They also have to pay for an adjuster’s license every year, which can cost several hundred dollars. Many carriers and third-party administrators (TPAs) want adjusters to have an active license when they join.

Only 13% of respondents do not have an active license, mainly because it’s not required in their current role. That leaves 87% who do need a license. Paying for or even contributing towards their license can prove a massive incentive to claims professionals, who can join you in the knowledge that they’re safely certified to do their jobs.

For more advice, speak to us

These insights are drawn from our Claims USA Workplace Attitudes and Salary Survey, conducted in August and September 2025. We’ll be publishing the full results towards the end of the year. In the meantime, if you’d like more advice on widening your talent pool or you need support hiring claims talent, please get in touch with me.