The growth of the insurance industry is creating a great demand for graduates in finance related fields. Michael Farina, the co-chair of the Accounting and Finance Department at Cerritos College in southern California, said there is a nationwide shortage of qualified insurance workers, particularly in administration and sales positions. "From what I'm hearing, [insurance firms] have to steal each other's employees," Mr Farina told the Press Telegram. Insurance admin workers support insurance brokers and adjustors in the assessment, investigation and settling of claims, the site said. The high demand for graduates means there are also opportunities to advance into sales and brokerage, it added. According to the Department of Labor, growth areas in the insurance sector include health insurance and the financial services such as securities and mutual funds. In 2006, there were 2.3 million jobs in the US insurance industry and around 44% of these positions were administration roles. In May of that year, the average weekly earnings for non-supervisory positions in the sector were $798 compared to a private sector average of $568.  |