Inclusive hiring in the insurance sector: Join our session at Dive In Festival 2025

With just days until the launch of Dive In Festival 2025, we are looking ahead to our key sessions– specifically, our upcoming interactive workshop focused on inclusive hiring 

In what promises to be a jam-packed hour, the Clear Company managing consultant, James Chave, will explore a simple but powerful idea: inclusive recruitment is not a box to tick, but rather a system to build. James and the panel of speakers from Lloyd’s, BMS and Chaucer will explore how to develop and integrate an evidence-based approach, the role of AI, and how inclusive hiring supports workplace belonging. Ahead of the session, we’ve examined why inclusive hiring in the insurance sector is so pivotal, highlighted how firms can adapt their strategies, and reviewed some of the themes the event will explore. 

Why inclusive hiring is key 

Inclusive hiring matters in insurance for reasons that go far beyond fairness. The sector exists to understand, price and insure risk across ever more diverse markets, which means the people designing products, modelling exposures and handling claims require an equally wide range of perspectives and life experience to identify blind spots, build trust with customers and innovate for changing needs. 

Multiple studies have proven that diverse teams make better risk decisions. In insurance specifically, assumptions about behaviour, vulnerability and exposure are shaped by the lived experience of the people making them. And, at a simple level, when teams are more representative of their customer and client bases, they are more likely to identify emerging risks, design more inclusive products and avoid unintended exclusions. With insurance in a current state of flux, having varied perspectives helps firms to tackle the complex challenges facing the market more effectively than those with less diversity.  

Tackling skills shortages 

A more inclusive approach also offers benefits beyond improved performance. Skills shortages continue to impact the industry, and combined with internal digital evolution digitalisation, AI, ESG demands and rising customer expectations, insurers need a broader range of skills than ever before. Recruiting from a narrow talent pool simply won’t deliver the necessary range of capabilities. By widening the pipeline – and recruiting across generations, backgrounds and career paths – firms can tap into new talent pools, accelerate knowledge transfer and futureproof their workforce. Intergenerational mentoring, for example, speeds up tech adoption while preserving institutional knowledge, a balance that is especially valuable in insurance, where experience and new digital skills must coexist in harmony. 

Retention gains 

Inclusive hiring practices have a positive knock-on effect further down the line, too. The data on this front is stark; employees who feel included are far less likely to leave. Studies show that ‘included’ employees are around 50% less likely to quit and that a strong sense of belonging can increase job performance by over half. In a market where recruitment is costly and continuity matters, retaining top performers is as important as hiring them. Investing in inclusive recruitment, therefore, pays back in lower attrition levels, better client outcomes and reduced recruitment spend.  

All eyes on employers 

Ultimately, inclusive hiring is the bedrock and foundation for developing a true culture of belonging. Organisations that model empathy, humility and cultural awareness create the psychological safety net for diverse voices to be heard and acted upon. That culture, in turn, encourages innovation, and teams that feel safe to challenge assumptions will spot opportunities that competitors miss. The benefits are clear: hire inclusively, develop inclusive leaders, measure outcomes, and you change the business for the better.  

Make sure you’re part of the conversation on inclusive hiring, register for Dive In and sign up for James’s session at 2pm on Tuesday, 16th September. Places for all sessions can be booked via: www.diveinfestival.com. 

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