Career Continuum: Maximizing Success From Hire to Retire

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Authors

Carie Crane, FLMI, ACS, AIRC, ARA
Vice President, Professional Development
LIMRA and LOMA

Kimberly Terranella
Vice President, Head of Industry Solutions Division
LIMRA and LOMA

December 2025

As we move through the final months of 2025, organizations continue to navigate a world of exciting opportunities, considerable challenges, and significant risks. Across the globe, they face the daunting task of anticipating and navigating the impact of everything from evolving consumer demographics and technological advances to climate change and geopolitical instability.

While no one has the power to precisely predict the turns we will take in the future, one thing is certain: those on the leading edge will not be standing still. Rather, successful organizations will do their best to embrace a spirit of innovation and adaptability that will position them to manage and thrive in this changing landscape. They are not merely reacting to change; they are shaping it.

Achieving Growth

According to a Gartner, Inc. survey, growth remains the top strategic priority for 62 percent of CEOs globally. However, the definition of growth has evolved — it is no longer confined to financial performance, but now encompasses evolving business models, expanding market reach, and delivering greater value to customers and stakeholders.

LIMRA’s 2025 Insurance Barometer study reinforces this shift, demonstrating that the opportunity to expand market reach and deliver greater value is still significant. Forty percent of American adults believe they need more life insurance — representing nearly 100 million people. This underscores the urgency for organizations to address the persistent life coverage gap while pursuing growth and innovation.

To thrive in this environment, innovation must be purposeful and pervasive. Key areas where forward-thinking organizations are focusing their efforts include:

Responsible AI adoption and accelerated digital transformation
Annuity and retirement solutions
Persistent life coverage gap
Private equity and capital deployment
Expense management and operational efficiency

Organizations that make the greatest headway on these challenges will rely on top talent to bring creative solutions.

Talent Strategies

An organization’s most valuable resource is its people. It is critical to commit to rigorous, thoughtful, and innovative talent attraction and retention practices to engage the best and brightest individuals in our industry.

A leadership outlook from Massey Henry highlights that financial services executives are prioritizing agility, talent development, and strategic reinvention to stay competitive. With increased competition for skilled professionals and heightened regulatory scrutiny, firms are investing in leadership pipelines and aligning specialized capabilities — such as compliance and digital transformation — with broader business goals.

Consequently, organizations are crafting strategies to hire, develop and retain top-drawer staff:

Hire
In 2025, only 49 percent of financial services firms met their hiring goals, reflecting the challenges of a competitive and skills-constrained market. In turn, organizations are refining their employee value propositions and streamlining hiring workflows to effectively attract top-tier talent.

Confidence in your candidates’ success is critical. According to SHRM, the average cost per hire within the insurance industry is around $4,000; however, this figure can be much higher for specialized roles. Once talent is hired, it’s important to give them the tools and resources to succeed in their roles. Glassdoor reports that a purposeful onboarding program for newly hired financial professionals yields an 82 percent improvement in employee retention and a 70 percent increase in employee productivity.
Develop
A recent survey of C-suite executives estimated that nearly 40 percent of the core skills needed in the current workforce will be different by 2030. In response, 91 percent of Learning and Development professionals agree that continuous learning is more important than ever for career success. Companies are investing in reskilling and upskilling programs, leadership development, and cross-functional training to future-proof their workforce.

Additionally, a LinkedIn report suggests employers that foster a strong learning culture benefit from improved business outcomes. Compared to companies with a “baseline” learning culture, they experience 23 percent more internal mobility, and 7 percent more promotions to management.
Retain
The 2025 Hiring Insights Report revealed that retaining top talent was cited as the No. 1 hiring challenge for financial services leaders. Gallagher research identified retention as the main priority for human resources (62 percent) and the second highest for operations (45 percent) among U.S. organizations. Supporting these findings, a SHRM study highlights the value a strong learning culture can have for retaining top talent, finding that 76 percent of employees are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training.

As an industry, innovation and purpose must remain central to how we move forward. Delivering on our promise of financial security requires organizations to stay innovative and focused on solving the industry’s biggest challenges — and talent is key to that success. Investing in talent is more than a strategy; it’s a commitment to building a resilient, highly innovative, and high-performing workforce from hire to retire — a pathway that will propel both your organization and the industry.