jobfacts

Insurance underwriter

Insurance underwriters — SOC 2020 3532

Insurance underwriters identify and measure the risks associated with an activity, determine whether this risk is insurable and issue insurance policies which provide financial compensation in the event of loss.

Also calledUnderwriterInsurance inspectorInspectorInsurance account handlerCommercial underwriterChief inspectorand 14 more titles
Typical full-time pay£41,6002025 Provisional
People in the job38,000across the UK
Demand for workersCritical
New adverts a month519↓ 1.6%on last year · 260th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time insurance underwriters earn, 2025
£41,600 typical£27,000lowest 10%£32,60025%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£27,000
Lowest 20% earn less than£30,200
25%£32,600
Median£41,600
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £41,600
North West!£33,400
Wales!£27,600
North EastNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £41,600
North West£33,400 (small sample)
Wales£27,600 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £38,000
  • 2024 £36,500
  • 2025 Provisional£41,600
↑ 9.6% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 519 jobs for insurance underwriters are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as critical.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026511
Jul 2026463
Jun 2026435
May 2026413
Apr 2026393
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026Not published
Jan 2026645
Dec 2025338
Nov 2025588
Oct 2025710
Sept 2025694
Aug 2025586
Jul 2025557
Jun 2025697
May 2025678
Apr 2025423
Mar 2025606
Feb 2025517
Jan 2025549
Dec 2024305
Nov 2024494
Oct 2024489
Sept 2024495
Aug 2024455
Jul 2024555
Jun 2024497
May 2024583
Apr 2024628
Mar 2024497
Feb 2024565
Jan 2024825
Dec 2023576
Nov 2023603
Oct 2023606
Sept 2023496
Aug 2023549
Jul 2023652
Jun 2023904
May 20231,069
Apr 2023835
Mar 2023769
Feb 2023950
Jan 2023956
Dec 2022712
Nov 2022952
Oct 2022895
Sept 2022805
Aug 2022903
Jul 2022993
Jun 2022962
May 20221,305
Apr 20221,000
Mar 20221,091
Feb 20221,039
Jan 20221,110
Dec 2021899
Nov 2021903
Oct 2021920
Sept 2021891
Aug 20211,056
Jul 20211,208
Jun 2021965
May 20211,136
Apr 2021725
Mar 20211,072
Feb 2021598
Jan 2021659
Dec 2020520
Nov 2020518
Oct 2020501
Sept 2020462
Aug 2020384
Jul 2020411
Jun 2020346
May 2020360
Apr 2020504
Mar 2020917
Feb 2020922
Jan 2020953
Dec 2019648
Nov 2019905
Oct 2019856
Sept 2019879
Aug 20191,133
Jul 20191,409
Jun 20191,515
May 20191,458
Apr 2019891
Mar 20191,139
Feb 20191,135
Jan 20191,075
Dec 2018644
Nov 20181,135
Oct 2018887
Sept 2018966
Aug 20181,021
Jul 20181,027
Jun 2018979
May 20181,143
Apr 2018896
Mar 2018946
Feb 2018906
Jan 20181,226
Dec 2017776
Nov 2017780
Oct 20171,023
Sept 2017855
Aug 2017872
Jul 2017930
Jun 20171,230
May 2017958
Apr 2017915
Mar 20171,014
Feb 2017853
Jan 20171,167
Is there a shortage of insurance underwriters?
Critical

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was elevated.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthWell above usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
24%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for business and public service associate professionals, which includes insurance underwriters. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London570
Manchester132
Birmingham86
Leeds64
Bristol, City of35
Glasgow City33
Chelmsford21
Cardiff19
Maidstone16
Nottingham15
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where insurance underwriters are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 48 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, France, Australia, ranking it 140th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of insurance underwriters
10%!
25%!
35%!
16%!
13%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–2410% (small sample)
25–3425% (small sample)
35–4435% (small sample)
45–5416% (small sample)
55–6413% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent36%
Higher education below degree!8.4%
A levels or equivalent34%
GCSEs or equivalent!18%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent36%
Higher education below degree8.4% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent34%
GCSEs or equivalent18% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: non-life insurance (50%), activities of insurance agents and brokers (24%), other monetary intermediation (9.3%), other activities auxiliary to financial services, except insurance and pension funding (6.1%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
36%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
3
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
1 to 3 years
typically
T Levels
1
college courses for 16 to 19 year olds

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You can take a degree before applying for a place on an insurance company's graduate training scheme.

Useful subjects include:

  • business studies
  • finance
  • economics
  • maths
  • law

It can help to get some relevant work experience whilst you're studying, for example through an internship or placement.

Your university careers service will be able to help you with this.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge needed to get a trainee position with an insurance company.

Courses include:

  • providing financial services
  • business and finance
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do an apprenticeship with an insurance company, such as:

  • Insurance Practitioner Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Insurance Professional Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
  • Senior Insurance Professional Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship

These take between 1 and 3 years to complete and combine workplace training and study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Work your way up

You may be able to join an underwriting team as an assistant and work your way up through training and promotion.

Employers will usually look for a minimum of GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English and maths, 1 or 2 A levels, and good IT skills, especially in using spreadsheets.

Once working, you could take qualifications offered by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), such as:

  • Certificate in Insurance
  • Diploma in Insurance
  • Advanced Diploma in Insurance

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

As you gain experience, you may begin to specialise in certain types of insurance, for example:

  • property
  • healthcare
  • business liability
  • cyber
Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Chartered Insurance Institute for professional development opportunities and to build up your contacts in the industry.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in insurance from the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for insurance underwriter. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

3 for this job
Level 3About 1 year

Insurance practitioner

You gain
CILA Certificate in Insurance; CII Certificate in Insurance
Leads to
Professional membership of the Chartered Insurance Institute
Employers may ask for
Entry requirements are a matter for individual employers. However, by the gateway to end-point assessment, apprentices must have achieved either: 30 credits…
Details on Skills England
Level 4About 2 years

Insurance professional

You gain
CII Diploma in Insurance
Leads to
Chartered Insurance Institute
Details on Skills England
Level 6About 3 years

Senior insurance professional

You gain
CII Advanced Diploma in Insurance
Leads to
Chartered Insurance Institute
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
FinanceT Level3

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • receives and assesses proposals and propositions for insurance from brokers and clients
  • identifies and evaluates the risks associated with a proposal
  • liaises with insurance surveyors, actuaries and risk managers where the risks associated with a proposal are not clear
  • calculates premiums, provides quotations and, if acceptable to the client, issues policies
  • ensures that the insurance policy clearly defines the liabilities accepted and any exceptions or exclusions
  • negotiates terms of reinsurance contracts

Skills

  • analyse insurance risk
  • calculate insurance rate
  • create insurance policies
  • decide on insurance applications
  • organise a damage assessment
  • analyse financial risk
  • analyse insurance needs
  • apply technical communication skills
  • collect property financial information
  • create cooperation modalities
  • estimate damage
  • obtain financial information
  • provide support in financial calculation
  • review insurance process

Knowledge

  • actuarial science
  • claims procedures
  • insurance law
  • modern portfolio theory
  • principles of insurance
  • types of insurance
  • insurance market
  • business loans

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for business and public service associate professionals, a group of 26 jobs that includes insurance underwriters.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 1.2%about 26,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.1 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.