Insurance Underwriter Among Professions Most Vulnerable to Automation: Study

June 23, 2017 by Kimberly Tallon

The insurance underwriter profession is on the endangered list, ranking among the jobs most vulnerable to automation, says a new report from the Center for Business and Economic Research.

The 10 Most Automatable Jobs

Underwriters came in at No. 4 on a list of the 10 most automatable jobs, behind data entry keyers, mathematical science occupations and telemarketers.

The report, prepared by the CBER and the Rural Policy Institute’s Center for State Policy at Ball State University, looked at the vulnerability of American jobs—and communities—to both automation and offshoring.

The researchers said that roughly 1 in 4 American jobs is at risk of foreign competition in the coming years and almost half are at risk of automation.

The study also found a link between risk of automation and yearly income, with the 10 highest-risk professions averaging less than $40,000 annually, while those with the lowest risk of automation earn much higher wages, averaging about $80,000 a year.

See related articles on how automation can be used to supplement the work of underwriters, agents and claims professionals, leaving them free to focus on customer needs:

“We cannot know the pace or the depth of automation and offshoring, but it is clear that large swaths of the American economy are likely to face these changes,” said CBER Director Michael Hicks. “Both trade and automation-related economic growth are hallmarks of a vibrant economy. But the social and political unease that accompanies large shocks felt by the workers is real.”

See the full report: “How Vulnerable Are American Communities to Automation, Trade and Urbanization?”